Transportation, public safety and affordable housing are but a few of the big-ticket items on the city of Durango’s radar as the Colorado Legislature prepares to enter its second regular session of the 75th Colorado General Assembly after the new year.
City Council approved a legislative agenda this week outlining the city’s stances and priorities on a number of issues affecting communities across the state.
Peggy O’Keefe of Clear Strategies, a lobbying firm that represents the city to the state, summarized the city’s legislative agenda – crafted with input from City Manager José Madrigal’s executive leadership team – for councilors Tuesday.
Summarizing the city’s legislative agenda, O’Keefe said the city supports:
- The targeted use of enterprise zones as tools for economic growth.
- Initiatives that work toward affordable housing across varying income levels.
- Statewide resources and initiatives to prevent, reduce and mitigate homelessness.
- Legislation that works directly with law enforcement to collaborate on addressing future demands.
- State funding for transportation solutions, including fleet electrification, multimodal infrastructure, operating and capital expenses, and maintaining and increasing revenue streams for public transit.
Likewise, she said the city opposes:
- Any legislation limiting the city’s power of annexation.
- State mandates requiring specific elements in local comprehensive plans – documents that typically outline broad long-term community growth.
- Legislation restricting municipal eminent domain powers.
- Legislation that creates unfunded mandates or limits tools, technologies and techniques that aid law enforcement “or reinforce political narratives that diminish the important contributions of law enforcement to our community.”
Councilor Kip Koso said he is concerned about tools and technologies that “bump up against the right to privacy,” noting the city’s legislative agenda contains “almost an automatic pushback” against the state regulating such.
Some residents called for the removal of Durango Police Department’s 21 Flock Safety artificial intelligence-powered surveillance cameras in December, citing privacy concerns and potential for abuse.
Koso said Flock Safety cameras come to mind, but he’s also concerned about the use of other tech that could threaten privacy.
He asked what risks state regulations could pose to law enforcement’s ability to utilize such technology.
Police Chief Brice Current said he wants to ensure Durango Police Department has a voice at the state Legislature when regulations are discussed.
Much of DPD’s interest in state regulations concerns Flock cameras, he said. But the police department is interested in other technologies on the horizon – internal AI systems that allow much more efficient searches of record systems and drones that can be deployed as first responders.
He said possible upcoming legislation about Flock cameras – which utilize statewide and nationwide data-sharing networks to share license plates and other vehicle data captured automatically – could require law enforcement agencies to limit sharing to the state of Colorado.
“That doesn’t do us any good,” he said, adding it doesn’t help other outlier agencies near the state’s borders either.
He said he would request of the Legislature a different radius for sharing networks. He has previously noted DPD’s collaborative work with agencies such as Farmington right across the Colorado-New Mexico border.
The debate about Flock cameras isn’t just about privacy versus safety, he said. It’s also about judicial review. If information is gained unlawfully for a case, the case could be thrown out – tainted by the “fruit of the poisonous tree,” he said.
Koso also asked why the city’s legislative agenda seeks exemptions for commercial airports pertaining to mitigation or remediation of PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in firefighting foams. He said he doesn’t agree with exemptions, although airports should be compensated for mitigation efforts.
Tony Vicari, aviation director for Durango-La Plata County Airport, said PFAS chemicals – contained in firefighting foams – are a major national and global health issue, but federal mandates have long required the use of PFAS-containing foams at airports.
About a year and a half ago, the Federal Aviation Administration stopped requiring PFAS-containing foams when it approved a commercially available fluorine-free foam, he said. Airports nationwide have begun converting from PFAS foams to non-PFAS foams.
DRO just completed its conversion in December, he said.
Airports across the country have requested exemptions from cleanup costs and impacts associated with PFAS mitigation because the use of PFAS foams was federally mandated for years.
Koso also asked councilors to consider adding an emphasis on state support for mental health facilities and utility infrastructure upgrades.
O’Keefe proposed language that says, “The city of Durango statewide resources and efforts to provide additional funding for mental health services and facilities in the region,” and similar language for state support of utility infrastructure upgrades.
cburney@durangoherald.com
