The City Council of Colorado Springs voted 6-3 Tuesday to override a veto from Mayor Yemi Mobolade regarding a procedural change related to how the city can spend tax revenues from recreational marijuana sales. It was the mayor's first veto since he took office in 2023.
The ordinance creates a pathway for city council to make a formal recommendation of how revenues from marijuana sales can be spent on specific line items, a decision which is ultimately up to the mayor. The ordinance does not change the powers of the city council nor the mayor.
In an interview with KRCC, Mobolade said he typically consults with council on what should be in the budget and that the bill was passed in bad faith to the existing process between council and the mayor's office.
“This ordinance misleads the public and undermines the efficient and proven budget process by creating an unnecessary and unauthorized level of bureaucracy,” Mobolade said. “Further, it signals a shift away from collaboration.”
He said now with this ordinance, the city council is trying to communicate with him via ordinances.
“Why can't we just talk about this? Why?” Mobolade said. “It just feels like we're using power to communicate with each other. That's not the kind of collaborative relationship I want.”
Councilman Brian Risley voted to override the veto. He called the ordinance another tool for the city council to use when working with the mayor on the budget.
“I do think that it's important for us to work collaboratively with the administration and that's certainly the intent,” Risley said. “I don't think the intent is to create any divisiveness at all.”
Risley said the ordinance also ensures the money is used by the city correctly.
“I would hate to see that money just go into the abyss of the general fund and be used to plug holes for things that it wasn't intended for,” Risley said.
The ordinance legalizing the sale of recreational marijuana in the city said revenue has to go toward mental health, public safety, or post-traumatic stress treatment programs for veterans.
Councilman Dave Donelson was one of three original no votes and among those who voted against the veto override. He said the ordinance creates more bureaucracy.
“I just think this is unnecessary. We can do all of this without passing another ordinance,” Donelson said.
Councilwoman Nancy Henjum agreed and also voted against the ordinance and override.
“The ordinance doesn't really do anything that we can't already do. I mean, that's the bottom line,” Henjum said.
Risley said the ordinance adds visibility to the interworking between the city council and the mayor's office.
“We can be very specific about where we want those dollars to flow in the form of a recommendation. And I think going through the process of identifying what those programs may be, gives it some visibility and gives it some gravity,” Risley said. “As opposed to just going through the normal budgeting process that the city typically goes through.”
Currently, the mayor presents a balanced budget to city council for consideration. The role of council is to adopt it, appropriate funds, and possibly make changes.
Both city council leadership and Mobolade said they want to get back on a path of collaboration. The city is in the early stages of finalizing a budget, which will have to take into account an $11 million shortfall in revenues.
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