A resolution approving a proposed Agreement between the City and County of Denver and CoreCivic, Inc. for provides halfway house, residential and non-residential, community corrections services. Approves a contract with Corecivic for $5,000,000 and through 6-30-23 for residential and non-residential community corrections services (SAFTY-202158407). The last regularly scheduled Council meeting within the 30-day review period is on 5-24-21. The Committee approved filing this item at its meeting on 4-28-21.
Thank you. It's been moved and seconded. Questions or comments by members of Council. Councilmember CdeBaca. Thank you. This is the core civic. Contract that we voted down a couple of years ago, and then it came back to us in a different form and we voted for it, expecting that there would be a complete. Phase out of this company in our city. For all of the reasons mentioned in public comment. And in our test, in our own commentary during the contracts. We are here in 2021 and have. Had ample time to completely divest and no other moment in history would have afforded us a better time to divest, considering the state wide attempts to. Depopulate prisons and. Jails with COVID. And so if we couldn't do it in this moment in time, I'm really concerned about what will happen after this. I also think that a two year extension. Is not something we afford other providers. And we should, if we're going to authorize them to continue operating in our city in this capacity, I think it should stick to the one year contract form that they would that they would be basically adhering to if we had allowed them to be in the city. So I'm definitely a no on this, and I hope my colleagues also vote no. What I asked for early on was that this come back as a one year contract. With the baked in, ratchet down plan that we can understand so that we don't expect this to come in front of us again. So please vote no on this contract. Thank you. Council members say to Barker. Next up, we have council member Hines. Thank you, council president. I kind of talked about this in committee already, so I won't belabor too much of it. I would say there were some reasonable concerns about, say, for example, sex offenders, how who will manage that population. And the only willing manager is is a private for profit company. I did it just as as we mentioned the previous conversation, I did explicitly ask for a one year contract because I want I want our public safety folks to feel the pressure to to ratchet down. And we didn't get that either. So I'll be. No, thank you, Madam President. Thank you. Councilmember Hines. Councilmember Sawyer. Thanks, Madam President. When the deal and course of the contracts came through the first time, we had a lot of conversation around what might happen and how long it would take to shut these programs down. We knew that it would be a few years and that was the for the pandemic hit. So I'm not at all surprised that this is delayed. I'm comfortable extending the contract for another two years with the caveat that if it's possible to end our relationship before that time and the Safety Department knows the council's feelings on getting it done as soon as possible, that should be done. However, the end of that time, I think it's my expectation and I know it was set in committee that it's the expectation of the council that at that point the relationship be severed. So, I mean, yes, tonight. But I think that this is probably the last time. Thanks, Madam President. Thank you. Councilmember Sawyer, Councilmember Pro Tem Torrance. I was just going to say the same thing that Councilman Sawyer said. I'm very much in alignment with what was just stated. So thank you very much. All right. Thank you, Councilmember Pro-Tem. And not seen in the other hands raised. Madam Secretary, roll call, please. CDEBACA No. Clark. I. Flynn. I. Herndon. I. Hinds. CASHMAN right. Can each I. Sandoval. I. Sawyer. I saw as I. Black I. Madam President. I. Madam Secretary. Close the voting and announce the results. Two days. Ten Eyes. Ten Eyes. Council Resolution 20 1-20465 has been adopted. The next item up is Council Bill 78. Councilmember Black, will you please put Council Bill 78 on the floor for final consideration?