Towing Contract Draws Lone Dissent as Council Honors Community Icons

Denver City Council extended the city's sole-bidder towing contract over pointed objections from Councilmember Amanda Sawyer, who cited a personal tragedy and the absence of basic accountability metrics. The session also featured two emotional proclamations — one for a grassroots cultural festival, another for a pioneering corrections leader now battling cancer — alongside transit, housing, and infrastructure approvals.

• Towing contract with Firkham Inc. extended 11-1 after Sawyer detailed a fatal crash, poor customer response, and the lack of performance standards in a deal covering 27,000 annual tows

• Council unanimously honored Vibes in the Park, a free Black and Brown cultural festival founded during COVID that has grown into one of Denver's signature community events

• Former Director of Corrections John Simonette celebrated as the leader who made Denver's jails the first nationally accredited; Sheriff Diggins and former Mayor Peña testified

• Pedestrian bridge funding approved for the Broadway Station corridor as Councilmember Alvidrez warned against the proposed widening of Santa Fe Drive

• Data center working group applications now open for community members at denvergov.org/datacenters

The basics: Council Resolution 261169 extends Denver's citywide towing contract with Firkham Inc. for a final one-year term. The company is the only bidder; all competitors became subcontractors under the current arrangement.