Latest news with #PuebloCityCouncil
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pueblo city councilors are set for their first raise since 1998. Here's how much
The salary of Pueblo City councilors is set to double in 2026 following a 4-3 vote on July 14. Council voted to increase the monthly salary for most members from $700 — a rate approved on March 24, 1997 — to $1,400. The pay for Pueblo City Council president was approved to increase from $900 to $1,800 per month. Just as the 1997 increase took effect the following year, Pueblo City Council's recently approved raise will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. The ordinance establishing council pay increases cites "inflationary factors," with $700 in 1997 being equal to $1,405.40 in 2025, according to the Federal Reserve Bank. Supporters of the pay increase included Councilors Dennis Flores, Roger Gomez, Joe Latino and Sarah Martinez. Pueblo City Council President Mark Aliff and Councilors Brett Boston and Regina Maestri voted against the ordinance. Flores argued that pay increases outlined in the ordinance would not only align council pay with inflation but also encourage younger candidates to run for public office. He also noted that sitting council members would not benefit from the pay increase unless reelected. "I think it's time that we just make an adjustment for inflation," Flores said. "There isn't a negotiated salary within the city that doesn't have a cost of living factor in all of our agreements. I just think that this is the time to do this." While Flores' at-large seat is up for election in 2025, he is unable to run for reelection due to term limits. Brett Boston, council's youngest member, is also the only sitting council member who's filed to run for reelection this November. However, Boston argued that a raise for councilors would not be fiscally responsible. "Do I think that council is underpaid? Yes," Boston said. "Do I think they deserve a raise? Sure. But I don't support this. This council constantly preaches fiscal responsibility. Certain council members say 'You don't got it, you don't give it.' That's just my opinion." Despite the pay rates for Pueblo City Council doubling in 2026, wages will remain below the Colorado minimums for tipped and non-tipped employees working full-time jobs. However, Pueblo City Council pay rates will exceed rates in the comparably sized city of Greeley. Members of Greeley City Council earn $12,600 per year, according to a presentation by Pueblo Deputy City Attorney Harley Gifford. Martinez argued that pay increases are necessary to make serving on council accessible to a diverse field of candidates, while also stating that increases should not come "at the expense" of other city employees. "I don't think that we can justify raising our own pay while also talking about laying off the very employees to keep this city running every single day," she said. "If we do end up in a position where layoffs are necessary, I believe that we have a duty to come back to this if it passes and reevaluate." Pueblo City Council District 1 candidate Elvis Martinez spoke against the ordinance during a public hearing before the vote. "It makes absolutely no sense," he said. "I know, and all of us know, that council shouldn't be getting paid double... I could bet $1 that council wouldn't double the work that they do." Pueblo D60 elections: Pueblo lawyer and professor announces Pueblo D60 school board run Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo City Council approves first pay increase since 1998 Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sam Hernandez announces second bid for Pueblo City Council, this time an at-large seat
Sam Hernandez wondered if he'd ever run for office again after finishing fourth in a tight 2023 race for Pueblo City Council District 2, but the former food truck owner keeps getting pulled back onto the campaign trail. In addition to formerly operating Sam's Street Tacos, Hernandez has vice-chaired the Pueblo County Young Republicans, served as a Pueblo GOP Bonus Member, and has spoken publicly in favor of the Pueblo D60 Board of Education requiring parental notification for students' non-legal name changes. Hernandez is also slated to be appointed to the Pueblo Planning & Zoning Commission if approved by city council on June 23. This November, Hernandez will be on the ballot competing for one of two Pueblo City Council at-large seats. He is one of three Republicans who have filed paperwork with the Pueblo City Clerk's Office to run at-large. The other Republicans are former Pueblo County Commissioner candidate Steven Rodriguez and current Pueblo City Councilor Brett Boston. "Growing up in Pueblo, you realize we don't take losses — we take lessons," Hernandez told the Chieftain. "This campaign is going to be different." Hernandez's slogan for his 2025 council campaign is "A Stronger Pueblo Starts Local." "You see a lot of out-of-town companies winning bids to do Pueblo jobs when we have a lot of Pueblo companies that could do the same job better... I'm just irritated as a Pueblo native seeing a lot of our jobs going to different cities," he said. If elected to Pueblo City Council, Hernandez also looks to revitalize Downtown Pueblo into a weekend destination for individuals across the state. He told the Chieftain he is concerned about the current presence of unhoused individuals and crimes like vandalism to local businesses in the area. "Our homeless situation needs to be addressed," he said. "The mayor has done a good job doing the sweeps. A lot of people don't agree with it, but just letting them make camps and do a free-for-all Armageddon was not the answer either. We need to protect our local businesses when it comes to crime and vandalism, and we need to hit it head-on." When it comes to issues related to the city budget, Hernandez said Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham is "doing the best she can" in addressing a shortfall. He agrees that the city needs more sales tax revenue, but does not believe the burden should be on taxpayers. "If we get more business-friendly, then we get better businesses in here," he said. "We get the people from Denver and (Colorado Springs) to say, 'Hey, let's go to Pueblo for the weekend.' Hotels are going to be filled, restaurants are going to be filled, entertainment is going to be filled. What does that bring to Pueblo? Sales tax." Outside the two at-large seats — one currently occupied by Boston and another currently occupied by Dennis Flores — up for election, Regina Maestri's District 1 seat and Sarah Martinez's District 3 seat will also be up for grabs this November. Dianne Danti and Elvis Martinez are the two candidates who have filed paperwork to run in District 1. Joseph Perko has filed to run in District 3, according to Pueblo Director of Public Affairs Haley Sue Robinson. Pueblo shelter: Pueblo awards SafeSide Recovery long-term contract for homeless shelter operation Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: What to know about Pueblo City Council candidate Sam Hernandez
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stricter loitering laws move forward in Pueblo
(PUEBLO, Colo.) — City leaders in Pueblo are moving forward with another attempt to try and address homelessness in the city. In a six-to-one vote on Monday, June 9, Pueblo City Council approved an ordinance that adds lying down into the city's definition of loitering. 'It also further defines how loitering, what loitering looks like and how will be defined,' said Harley Gifford, a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Pueblo. Another of the changes means people caught breaking the rules cannot say there was no sign banning loitering as a defense. No one spoke out in favor of the resolution on Monday evening, but two people who made public comment spoke against the changes. 'This amendment, again, is going to target the homeless people here in Pueblo, Colorado,' said one community member. 'It's not fair to people who don't have a place to stay, to not be able to be anywhere.' Councilmember Joe Latino introduced the measure to the council. Latino also introduced a no sit-lie ordinance earlier this year. While the original measure moved forward in March, the council later voted it down in a five-to-two vote in April. The latest change will also bring about a harsher punishment when it comes to loitering. 'It's [loitering] going to go to a class one municipal offense, which is a $1,000 fine and up to 364 days in jail,' Gifford said. Those who spoke out against the ordinance add the city's recently-created commission on homelessness needs time to get its legs under it in order to find solutions. 'If we just give the commission time to do its work, working on the one problem that we're concentrating on, homelessness, and leave all these stupid laws for another city to punish people, I think we can really make some good progress,' a community member said. Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham would have to sign this before it officially becomes law. If it does move forward, it would go into effect 30 days after the mayor's approval. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Future of Pueblo City Park Bathhouse is uncertain
(PUEBLO, Colo.) — At a recent Pueblo City Council meeting, a Friends of City Park representative used public comment to express frustration with the City's decision not to award a management agreement for the City Park Bathhouse facility. 'Forget about the time we spent, countless hours of the city staff wasted preparing this, answering questions related to it, conducting multiple site visits, and ultimately evaluating,' George Koncilja, President of Friends of City Park, explained. 'All a complete waste if we were set up to be rejected all along.' The bathhouse, constructed during the Works Progress Administration (WPA) era around the time of the Great Depression, has suffered from significant structural issues related to groundwater infiltration and unstable soil conditions. These issues, combined with the need for modern amenities and ADA accessibility, led to the City's decision to seek updates to the bathhouse to serve future generations. After many failed funding attempts, the city created a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to find a partner who could take full responsibility for restoring and operating the bathhouse without additional burden to taxpayers. 'Ultimately, we were the only ones to respond,' Koncilja said. 'We exceeded what was asked of us. We were rejected, however, because of four specific points.' The proposal wanted historical designation for the facility, which the City Council had previously rejected. It also failed to meet restroom requirements, something Mayor Heather Graham explained on her podcast, 'The Mayor's Mixtape.' 'The city asked for a certain amount of restrooms to be provided based off capacity in the area with the tennis courts, with the state tournaments that come down,' Mayor Graham said. 'That was not met.' The President of Friends of City Park said he attended the most recent tennis tournament at the facility, where he claims there was never a line of people waiting for the restrooms. 'There's absolutely no need to have 15 toilet fixtures in that facility,' Koncilja explained. 'Our proposal would more than double what they currently have for fixture count to five men's and five women's. Far more than enough for the average day.' Pueblo Mayor responds to failed bath house funding City staff said that while grassroots efforts of the community are welcome and encouraged to preserve the bathhouse facility, adherence to the requirements of the RFP is essential for the responsible operation and ongoing maintenance of the building. After the latest funding attempt, where the Steel City goes from here is uncertain. 'It's really going to be up to the City Council if they want to dedicate general fund dollars,' Mayor Graham explained. While one Pueblo City Council Member said he is ready to move on entirely. 'I think there are many more productive things we could be focusing on, much more important issues in the City that we could be focusing on.' Brett Boston, Pueblo City Council, Representative at Large, said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pueblo City Council back to the drawing board with 'no sit, no lie' ordinance
A majority of Pueblo City Council wants to ban homeless people from sitting or lying down in business districts, but a "no sit, no lie" ordinance still failed in a 5-2 vote on April 28. Earlier this year, councilor Joe Latino requested that council reintroduce a failed 2022 ordinance prohibiting individuals from sitting or lying down in the Downtown business area's rights of way between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., or "regular business hours," according to a city of Pueblo background paper. However, Deputy Attorney Harley Gifford said April 28 he was later directed by council to expand the original ordinance to include more than just the Downtown business area. "I couldn't find any other examples of a citywide type of 'no sit, no lay,' so we tried to tailor it to the business areas that council expressed concerns about," Gifford said. The ordinance reviewed by council on April 28 included the Bessemer, Mesa Junction, U.S. Highway 50 and Eastside business areas in addition to Downtown. However, some members of council expressed a desire to expand the ordinance. Councilor Roger Gomez asked if the ordinance could be amended to be citywide, and Councilor Regina Maestri suggested the ordinance be enforced at all hours of the day. "This should be a 24/7 thing... that's when the windows get broken," Maestri said. "I'm not understanding why we're the bad guy. Guess what? If homeless people were just homeless, and they just sat around and they cleaned up their mess, put their stuff in the trash, didn't litter, didn't defecate — it might be a whole different story." While speaking in support of a sit-lie ordinance of some kind, Councilor Brett Boston and Latino also expressed concerns about Pueblo's homeless disrupting business areas. Pueblo City Council President Mark Aliff said he initially had concerns about a sit-lie ordinance adding onto existing laws, but said Pueblo Police Chief Chris Noeller made a "compelling argument" for such an ordinance during a work session. Councilor Dennis Flores said he felt the city's existing loitering ordinance was a sufficient enough law and that police already had "enough to do." Councilor Sarah Martinez said an ordinance restricting sitting and lying was not only "unnecessary," but also disproportionately targeting the homeless. "We need real, compassionate solutions — housing, outreach, mental health care and support services — and this ordinance doesn't provide any of those," Martinez said. "So for those reasons, I'll be voting no, because criminalizing survival is not leadership and it's not the direction that our city should be going." The April 28 vote failed 5-2, with Latino and Maestri being the only "yes" votes. Following the ordinance's failure, Aliff directed Gifford to work with Latino to draft another ordinance for future review. Cinco de Mayo: Here's where to celebrate Cinco de Mayo 2025 in Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@ Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo City Council can't agree to terms on no sit/lie ordinance
