After a year and a half of discussions, votes and postponements, the Aurora City Council voted Monday to indefinitely postpone an ordinance that would make non-sugary drinks the default on kids’ menus.

The Healthy Kid Meal Ordinance was first introduced to council committees in December 2019 and passed its first vote 6-3 in March 2020; however, the second and final vote on the ordinance was pushed back three times during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sponsor of the ordinance, Councilwoman Angela Lawson, requested to table the ordinance Monday.

“I went from Ward One through Ward Six and I talked to different restaurant owners,” Lawson said. “After talking to these restaurants, especially after the pandemic when they’re trying to get into recovery, I realized that this is not something we can pursue.”

Lawson said she is now working with stakeholders on possibly developing an incentive or educational program to achieve a similar outcome to the ordinance. That program would not have any enforcement provisions.

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According to city officials, a majority of the council would have to vote to bring the ordinance back in the future now that it has been tabled.

The ordinance would have required Aurora restaurants to make non-sugary beverages – like milk or water – the default for pricing and advertising on kids’ meals. Children would still be allowed to order sweetened drinks like sodas, but the drinks would not be displayed as part of a bundled kids’ meal.

The ordinance said the effort is “to protect the health and well-being of all children and families within the city, including those most impacted by adverse health conditions and disease.”

In addition to majority council support, the ordinance was applauded by the Tri-County Health Department and the Children’s Hospital of Colorado.

“One challenge standing between families’ access to healthy meals is the abundance of sugary drink options,” said Dr. Stephen Daniels, pediatrician-in-chief at the Children’s Hospital of Colorado. “We believe in making sugary drinks the exception, not the rule; the option, not the default.”

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The added sugar in average sugary drinks in kids’ meals exceeds the recommended amount of sugar a child should have in an entire day, according to the Tri-County Health Department.

The ordinance said 50% of 2- to 5-year-olds have at least one sugary drink per day and children who drink sugary drinks daily are 55% more likely to be overweight or obese. This increases the likelihood of children developing diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

Despite the ordinance’s support among health professionals, businesses stood firmly against it.

The Aurora Business Advisory Board and Colorado Restaurant Association have publicly opposed the ordinance, saying it would be inconvenient and expensive for restaurants to reprint menus. The board also claimed the ordinance would be difficult to enforce.