We arrived early, Durango City Council regular meeting ten minutes early to a full room and all the councilors (less Councilor Bosmans) seated ready to start. Councilor Bosmans arrived just as things were getting kicked off. The meeting was run in an orderly and professional manner as city staff, notably CFO Schmidt, presented on a range of topics. Every recommendation on the agenda that was presented, quickly received a motion to approve, a second, and ultimately passed. Notably Councilor Bosmans was the lone objector to several budget related ordinances but could not generate any votes to support his position among his colleagues. The budget related topics were too complex to fully appreciate in the setting of a council meeting. However, CFO Schmidt repeatedly reminded those of us in attendance (and more generally the public) the information is available online to anyone who wants to dig into the details. Your League Observers in attendance found the presentations related to the airport expansion, Tesla charging stations, and progress check on City Council strategic goals particularly interesting for reasons to detailed to outline in this summary. Also, which may be of interest to the League, during the allotted Committee, Board, and Liaison Reports section of the meeting multiple councilors talked favorably about meeting with Colorado Secretary of State Griswold during her recent visit to Durango. More specifically the councilors made encouraging comments about the integrity of the voting process in Durango and acknowledged the work done by County Clerk Lee’s office – again reminding the public that anyone interested can go to the county clerk office building and County Clerk Lee will walk them through exactly how things work. Finally, the last item on the agenda was a resolution reprimanding Councilor Bosmans for actions he took during the Nov 7th City Council regular meeting. The reasons for this resolution have been well documented in multiple outlets, including the Durango Herald. Rather than opine, your League Observers will allow you to research this topic further if you are so inclined.
City Council—12/5/23
