aurora
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Aurora sales tax increases will be on November ballot
Aurora voters will decide in November whether to raise sales taxes for the first time since 1993 to help pay for infrastructure, transportation and public safety improvements. The City Council cast a final vote Monday night to put three measures on the ballot. Several members of the public spoke to the council in opposition, specifically…
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Aurora creates police oversight office in final vote
The Aurora City Council voted unanimously Monday to create a police oversight office as the city’s consent decree comes to an end. Without discussion, council members approved a final ordinance creating the Office of Public Safety Accountability, prompting city officials to begin the hiring process. The office will serve as an “independent function reporting administratively…
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Aurora City Council requires ICE facility inspections, regulated disease reporting
The Aurora City Council passed two ordinances requiring periodic inspections of and more regulated disease reporting from detention facilities in the city, including the GEO Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. Both ordinances passed in a final vote Monday night with “no” votes from Councilmembers Francoise Bergan, Angela Lawson, Curtis Gardner and Stephanie Hancock. The two…
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Aurora considers landlord license program to help protect renters
The Aurora City Council is considering creating a landlord rental registration and licensing program to protect renter rights. Supporters of a landlord license program say renters in Aurora don’t have adequate protections or an avenue to take recourse against landlords. Those in opposition say such a license is unnecessary, repeals property rights and could raise…
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Aurora voters to decide on sales tax hike to fund projects
Aurora voters will decide in November whether to raise sales taxes for the first time since 1993 to help pay for infrastructure, transportation and public safety improvements. If voters approved the tax increase, the money will go toward “Build Up Aurora” to fund projects that include construction of Gun Club Road, updates to police and…
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Aurora council votes to require periodic detention center inspections
The Aurora City Council moved forward with ordinances Monday requiring periodic inspections of and more regulated disease reporting from detention facilities in the city, including the GEO Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. Both ordinances, sponsored by Councilmember Gianina Horton, passed Monday with four “no” votes from Councilmembers Francoise Bergan, Angela Lawson, Curtis Gardner and Stephanie…
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Aurora communication policy changes raise concerns for public safety, press freedom
Proponents argue arestees have a right to privacy until adjudicated An Aurora City Council decision to alter social media policies for the police department has raised concerns from press freedom and public safety advocates, who worry that limiting what police can release to the public will impact safety and limit media professionals’ ability to access…
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Tapped: Aurora cracks down on water use as reservoirs fall, runoff shrinks
Editor’s note: The Denver metro region sits at the center of one of the American West’s most complex and consequential water challenges. This series examines the interconnected systems that determine how the region secures, stores, and conserves its water while navigating the competing demands of fast‑growing urban communities and the increasingly unpredictable mountain snowpack that…
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Federal judge green-lights jury visit to Aurora detention center in forced-labor lawsuit
A federal judge granted a request on Thursday to have jurors visit the privately run U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Aurora as part of an upcoming civil trial over alleged forced labor practices. U.S. District Court Senior Judge John L. Kane said he wanted the “best possible trial,” and initially postponed his…
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Aurora eyes raising taxes to pay for infrastructure projects
Aurora voters could decide this November whether to raise sales taxes for the first time since 1993 to help pay for infrastructure, transportation and public safety improvements. The city’s Infrastructure Task Force recommended that the City Council approve a bond program supported by sales and use tax increases to fund Build Up Aurora projects. On…