Pueblo City Council Passes Funds-Slashing Budget Despite Nonprofit Protests

By DEVIN FLORES

Before the opening of the Nov. 25 meeting of the Pueblo City Council, more than 70 Puebloans turned out in front of City Hall to protest the controversial proposed budget, which was to be voted on by the City Council that night. Despite this turnout, the budget ultimately passed 4 to 2, finalizing drastic cuts in city funding to nonprofits.

The budget, which was presented by the office of Mayor Heather Graham to the City Council on Oct. 15, included a wide variety of cuts in an attempt to decrease the city’s annual deficit. This included a series of cuts to the city’s contributions to many non-profits, including those owned by the city (such as the Pueblo Zoo) and those affiliated with the city (such as the Pueblo Heritage Museum). Some of these cuts would remove 100% of the city’s contributions to some organizations, such as the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center.

These proposed cuts have caused a great deal of concern among the citizens of Pueblo, resulting in demonstrations outside City Hall before and during the Nov. 25 City Council meeting.

Representatives from a wide variety of local non-profits were present, including El Movimiento Sigue, the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, El Pueblo History Museum, and many more. Demonstrators held signs with slogans such as “Non-Profits Change Lives” and “Protect Pueblo’s Kids,” while a demonstrator with a megaphone led the group in chants of “People Over Profits!”

The city’s proposed budget comes on the heels of several years of struggle for many non-profits, as the community at large continues to recover from COVID-19 and faces ongoing economic hardships.

The budget cuts proposed by the mayor’s office would not eliminate the city’s deficit, which would still be over $8 million in 2025. This is caused in part by an expansion of city expenditure in other areas, such as an $8.5 million increase in the budget for the city’s police department.

Discussion of the proposed budget lasted well over three hours, with almost half of that time dedicated to public comment, which was entirely against the motion. Public commentators made appeals to both reason and humanity, with several citizens emphasizing the importance of non-profits that provide help for children, the homeless, and veterans.

During the discussion, Councilmember Dennis Flores (At Large) proposed an amendment to rewrite the budget to restore the payments to nonprofits to the 2024 levels while reducing the budget increases to other city departments to accommodate this, decreasing the predicted deficit in the process.

Councilmembers Gomez (District 3) and Aliff (At Large) spoke against this amendment, with Aliff describing the statements given by nonprofits as “griping.” He went on to protest that the city historically did not fund non-affiliated nonprofits until 2018. However, he also agreed with Councilmember Flores that the payment structure of Pueblo is “way out of whack” with the size of the city, but ultimately argued that the first priority of the city is to its employees.

Councilmember Flores disagreed strongly. “We’re arguing over one percent of our budget,” he said. “Why should we not try to help our nonprofits?”

“These nonprofits are a symbol of what this community is all about,” he continued. “We fund them because they do things we know are important. They provide solutions to social problems; they provide amenities that our citizens deserve. Our citizens deserve an arts center; they deserve a zoo. There’s a story in every one of these nonprofits, and they’re all symbolic of what this city should be about.”

Regina Maestri, in her comments, commended the mayor’s office for their focus on cutting “unnecessary” budget items. She compared the mayor’s office to the “DOGE Committee” (the Department of Government Efficiency, a new federal non-departmental advisory group designated by President-Elect Trump).

Councilmember Maestri then suggested that the city’s reserved budget should be used instead to develop “new water parks” and things that “build the city up,” instead of being used in the “misguided belief” that it is the city’s responsibility to help those less in need.

Discussion continued until after midnight and became more heated as councilmembers grew tired and frustrated. Voting began at 12:10 a.m. Councilmember Flores’ amendment failed 4 to 2 (Councilmember Martinez had recused herself earlier in the night due to a conflict of interest). At the last minute, Councilmember Aliff proposed an amendment to the budget to award the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center $100,000. This amendment passed 4 to 2, and the budget passed with it.