(COLORADO SPRINGS) — On Monday, Sept. 9, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade delivered the annual State of the City address to City Council members and the public inside City Hall chambers.
The theme of this year’s address is, “The Road to the Future” in which he highlighted issues the city has been working to tackle in the last year and what else needs to be addressed.
The highlights from the past year included:
Public Safety
The Police Department expects to reach full authorized strength of 819 officers by early next year. By the end of 2024, the department expects to have hired 130 new officers this year alone. It also launched a new ‘drone as a first responder’ pilot program.
The Fire Department broke ground on Fire Station 24 on the north side and opened Fire Station 25 on the southeast. It has responded to 24 wildland fires, to date, this year, and has mitigated 1,400 acres, and worked with 3,600 residents who participated in its chipping program.
Infrastructure
More than 6,000 requests to fill potholes were received through the City’s GoCOS app. Crews have filled 73,000 potholes across the city in 2024, which is 8,000 more filled by this time last year.
In 2024, the 2C Road Improvement Program has repaved 162 miles, replaced 152,000 feet of concrete curb and gutter, and installed 600 pedestrian ramps. 2C is a dedicated sales tax that can only be used to repave roads and fix the concrete next to them.
The Circle Drive Bridge replacement is one of many capital improvement projects taking place this year. It is replacing four of the 10 longest bridges in Colorado Springs and making them safer, more accessible, and pedestrian-friendly.
This year, to date, the Keep it Clean COS program has cleaned up more than 2,900 tons of debris, filling more than 89 dump trucks full of trash, including 1,300 discarded tires and 1,100 shopping carts. City crews have also removed 10,000-plus graffiti tags and cleared more than 3,000 abandoned vehicles.
The Colorado Springs Airport is expanding its air service and nonstop flight options, achieving record-breaking traffic. It has also invested more than $36 million of federal grants and airport revenue on a three-year terminal modernization project called Elevate COS.
The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department has focused on accessibility, including the grand opening of the city’s first fully accessible dog park in historic downtown Antlers Park. It has also made major safety upgrades to Memorial Park, including new lights, security gates, and wireless cameras. The park’s basketball court will soon be resurfaced thanks to a grant secured by local nonprofit, Hillside Connection.
Housing Solutions
The Common Sense Institute, an independent, nonpartisan, Colorado-based research organization, identified a shortage of 27,000 housing units in Colorado Springs.
The City continues to explore innovative building practices that could help address the identified housing shortage.
The City has allocated $2.5 million in Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds to 1,194 housing units that are either under construction or ready to lease.
Economic Vitality
In 2023, Colorado Springs saw its economy grow by 8.5%, which is almost 4 billion dollars, and over the last five years, the city’s economy has grown by 30 percent.
Peak Innovation Park, a business park at the Colorado Springs Airport that is home to Amazon and a growing number of defense companies, is estimated to add $1.9 billion to the local economy in 2025 alone.
Since 2023, the City approved a record 12 economic development agreements, resulting in an estimated 1,700 jobs retained, 3,000 new jobs, 1.6 billion dollars in private investment, and 125 million dollars in projected new City revenue.
Community Activation
Pikes Peak Rising – a mental health initiative championed by First Lady Abbey Mobolade – launched this year. Its primary goal is to address the mental health crisis by raising awareness of and providing easier access to mental health resources. El Paso County Public Health has partnered with the initiative and launched Pikes Peak Rising 360, the State’s first public web portal for mental health resources.
Over 700 neighborhood gatherings have been held across the city in 100 percent of neighborhoods. The goal is for 1,000 gatherings to be registered this year on ColoradoSprings.gov/1000gatherings.
Moving forward, Mayor Mobolade said he plans to address the key issues in the city such as homelessness using a new Homelessness Response Plan that is expected to be released to the public this fall. It features a six-pronged approach to tackle the issue utilizing the following strategies:
1. Enforce laws and protect public spaces while connecting the unhoused to resources.
2. Provide funding to support housing solutions and our local nonprofits.
3. Clean campsites to prevent fire hazards and water pollution.
4. Prioritize street outreach to high-needs individuals.
5. Offer employment opportunities through the City’s WorkCOS program; and
6. Keep the public engaged and informed on the issues.
In regards to public safety, another topic discussed Monday, the Mayor said his goal is to prioritize force power and bring the Colorado Springs Police Department up to fully staffed by 2025. This announcement comes at a time when the Mayor acknowledged the rise in certain crimes across the city such as homicides, motor vehicle thefts, and traffic fatalities.
