Aspen City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to advance a sweeping rewrite of the city’s criminal offenses code, removing charges that would carry lighter penalties at the municipal level than under state law and updating statutes untouched for decades — all to comply with a Colorado Supreme Court ruling on municipal sentencing. Council also approved seven consent resolutions authorizing equipment purchases, infrastructure contracts, and facility upgrades, and moved into executive session to discuss negotiations involving two undisclosed properties. Mayor Rachael E. Richards was absent. Mayor Pro Tem John Doyle presided.
Assistant City Attorney Luisa V. Berne brought Ordinance #10, Series of 2026, on first reading, telling council the revision was triggered by the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision in In re: People v. Camp, which changed how municipal courts can sentence crimes with analogous offenses under state law. No new crimes were added. Several were removed because the state system imposes stronger penalties.
Simple assault, charged as a misdemeanor in county court, would only be a petty offense in municipal court. Indecent exposure under state law carries sex offender registration, mandatory education, and probation — none of which Aspen’s municipal court can impose. Wildlife and endangered species violations, classified as Class 5 felonies, were also removed for handling by Colorado Parks and Wildlife through county and district court.
Under the revised code, offenses with analogous state crimes are capped at $300 in fines and 10 days in jail — down from the previous municipal maximums of $2,650 and one year. Offenses unique to Aspen with no state equivalent — defacing public buildings was cited as one example — retain the $2,650 fine and one-year jail maximum.
Berne said the municipal court’s limited resources make probation and community service difficult to mandate, though both can be negotiated through plea agreements, and committed to bringing additional options back at second reading. Chief of Police Kimberly Ferber told council the department routes repeat offenders and high-utilizer program participants through county court to access broader sentencing tools, reporting strong results over the past year. Council passed first reading 4-0.
The consent calendar passed without discussion on the same 4-0 vote. Council approved a contract with Echologics LLC for an acoustic monitoring system on the city’s water distribution piping, a CDOT grant agreement and a purchase contract with Model 1 for two replacement shuttle vehicles, and a sound system replacement at the Wheeler Opera House theater through Rockfan Entertainment LLC. Change orders for construction administration at the Aspen Recreation Center were approved — one with Rosenfeld Design and one with Phil Vaughn Construction Management. Fleet replacement of a 962 loader and 260 skid steer was authorized through an existing Caterpillar contract. A first addendum to the City Attorney’s employment contract and a design contract with Stutsman Gerbaz Inc. for Main Street inlet and pedestrian improvements completed the calendar. Draft minutes of the April 14 regular meeting were also approved.
Council’s comments reflected a grim water picture. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork watershed stood at 17 percent of normal as of April 23, with only three of nine local snow telemetry sites showing any remaining snow water equivalent — 2.4 inches against a median of 14 inches for this date. The Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs and the Crystal River at Redstone both peaked March 27 at 878 and 414 cubic feet per second respectively, months ahead of historical norms. The previous record low peak on the Roaring Fork at Glenwood Springs was 2,110 cubic feet per second, set June 2, 2012.
Lake Powell sat at 24 percent capacity and Lake Mead at 33 percent, with neither expected to recover given this spring’s low runoff. Draws from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir were under consideration, which would reduce it to historically low levels. A recent river district report described the year as bleak for water, with some hope tied to forecasted monsoon rains later this summer.
The April 15 Aspen Pitkin County Housing Authority board meeting produced five approved regulatory updates, including rental requalification limits and a change allowing workers with less than four years of employment history to enter the housing lottery. A policy addressing sex offenders in APCHA housing was tabled pending legal clarification, with staff directed to return in June.
Councilmember Sam Rose reported no measles cases in Pitkin County but noted the U.S. had recorded 1,714 cases in 2026 so far, compared to 2,287 for all of 2025, putting the country at risk of losing its eradication status. The Pitkin County Healthy Community Fund — used for emergency health and human services needs and renewed three times — is on the November ballot for renewal before it expires in 2027.
City Manager Pete Strecker was asked for a memo on the city’s summer plans for the West End neighborhood, covering police presence, traffic calming, parking, and safety, along with a timeline on previously funded neighborhood studies. On upcoming city events: the Kids First childcare financial aid application deadline is May 1, with assistance beginning June 1; Air Quality Awareness Week runs May 4–8, with incentives for switching gas stove tops to induction and an indoor air quality study recruiting at aspencore.org; and the spring cleanup event runs May 4–7, with curbside pickup available to residents who contact the Streets Department before 4 p.m. on May 1.
Mayor Pro Tem Doyle read a proclamation declaring May 2026 as Building Safety Month, recognizing building officials, architects, engineers, and construction workers for their role in public safety. The proclamation is sponsored annually by the International Code Council.
During public comment, Don Shinault asked council to consider extending the Aspen Recreation Center’s closing time to 9 p.m., saying the current hours were too early for residents who work outdoors during daylight and that 9 p.m. had been the facility’s closing time previously. Francis Stuckens, a 40-year Aspen resident, raised concerns about e-bike speeds on shared paths, praised pedestrian safety improvements on Hallam Street and the restaurant composting program, and said he was working to open a cannabis consumption lounge in Aspen. He also raised concerns about stalled development projects he attributed to developer Mark Hunt, including the Saint Ambrose property.
Council moved into executive session to discuss the potential acquisition, lease, or transfer of two properties, legal advice related to both, and negotiation strategy, pursuant to C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(a), (4)(b), and (4)(e). The identities of the properties could not be disclosed due to market sensitivity and confidentiality demands of the parties involved.
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