Although Denver City Council made history on Monday night when it conducted its first-ever virtual meeting due to the coronavirus outbreak, the new process hardly went according to plan.  

All 13 members were technically present, but the six in attendance via Zoom, a web conferencing platform, apparently went missing mid-meeting due to technical issues, meaning their voices and votes were lost entirely.

This, on top of the audio issues that both the council members and the public experienced throughout the meeting.

The virtual council meeting was made possible by city government’s recent passage of new emergency rules, which allow for members to join council meetings remotely amid the COVID-19 outbreak as a way to maintain physical distance and help curb the spread of the virus, which has taken the lives of at least 26 Denver residents, according to Mayor Michael Hancock’s office.

At least one of the Monday meeting’s agenda items – a bill about a new medical marijuana research and development license – had to be delayed due to Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca calling it out for a vote, but then unintentionally being removed from the meeting due to technical issues.

Councilwoman Robin Kniech, who said she supported the measure, called for a one-week delay due to the democratic process not being “robust.”

Nevertheless, the seven members in the council chambers, all of whom donned a mask, carried on with the brief meeting and passed in a block vote several new bills.

The council approved in a 7-0 vote a new grant agreement with the Colorado Department of Transportation for $3 million of CDOT funds, nearly $424,000 in city funds, and $200,000 of Regional Transportation District funds to improve over a 10-year period transit speed, reliability and safety for those traveling along Federal Boulevard from West Floyd Avenue to 54th Avenue.

The city also passed several resolutions for its homeless community, including a nearly $1 million contract with the Salvation Army through the end of the year to provide overnight shelter services at the Crossroads Center for men experiencing homelessness.

Another measure secured $700,000 over 60 years to support the construction of 70 units of affordable housing for senior citizens at the corner of Central Park Boulevard and Northfield Boulevard.

Another $1.5 million was approved to provide the city’s unhoused population with daily bus transportation for trips originating in central downtown Denver to various overnight shelter locations.

In other business, the city also approved a bill that will increase fees for city golf courses. As part of the new legislation, the cost for annual passes could increase by about 36%, now costing up to $750 a year.

CdeBaca during last week’s meeting voted against the measure on grounds that raising prices prevents low-income residents from accessing the golf courses. 

“At a time like this, especially as the new golf course opens, we want to encourage as many people to experience it as possible,” she said after the bill’s first reading, “and we limit those possibilities by increasing these fees.”