(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Mayor Yemi Mobolade held his October press briefing on Thursday morning, Oct. 24 where he addressed multiple topics including crime, homelessness, and roads.
Mayor Mobolade opened with the success of 2C, the voter-approved program uses sales tax to rebuild and improve the condition of existing roads. In 2024, the program was able to pave 123 miles across the city and impact seven neighborhoods.
This year, the program completed “significant” work involving pouring concrete, curb gutters, and sidewalks. Mayor Mobolade also mentioned any roads that received concrete work this year would receive paving in 2025.
Ballot Issue 2C is back on the ballot this year, and voters can decide whether the program should stay or not. If passed, the measure would be renewed until 2035.
“Even with all this great work, we still have a long way to go to repave all our roads. I often like to remind our residents that we are the largest geographic city in the state. This is why 2C is on your ballot… good roads are a staple of a great city,” said Mobolade.
If dropped, Mobolade said roads rated as “poor” would increase to 70% by 2035, and if kept, the measure would keep that number under 35%.
As for how the City is addressing crime, the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) targeted street racing in September. Then, local police along with other law enforcement agencies deployed registration enforcement around the state and wrote 1,000 citations in Southern Colorado, 351 of which were written in Colorado Springs.
The City will host its public safety meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20 where city officials and state lawmakers will address youth crime including the recent smash and grabs.
On Thursday, Nov. 21, the Homeless Response Plan will be released. The City is working on six areas: Fund, Enforce, Clean, Employ, Engage, and Street Outreach. The 2025 budget proposal looks to expand street outreach and create a new team for camp cleanups.
