Aurora is preparing to spend $1.9 million making its City Council chamber accessible to residents and elected officials with disabilities. The proposed overhaul would replace the room’s current lift and limited wheelchair seating with ramps, improved audience access and a larger council dais. Construction could close the chamber for six to eight months next year, forcing the city to decide how public business will continue during the disruption.
The plan advanced after a July 27 study session where council members largely supported moving the project forward, according to Sentinel Colorado. City Manager Jason Batchelor said funding would come from the capital projects fund, with some money already set aside, though Councilmember Françoise Bergan said she wanted assurances that the work would not divert money from other priorities.
Aurora’s regular council meetings are already conducted in a hybrid format, with in-person and remote participation available, according to the City of Aurora. Even so, city staff said the chamber’s audio and visual equipment will need to be removed during construction, and council members still have to work out whether meetings will be held virtually, relocated, or handled through some combination of both.
Ramps Would Replace A Noncompliant Lift
The proposed design calls for two ramps from the top of the chamber to the assembly area where residents speak during public comment, plus another ramp leading to the dais. The dais would also be expanded to give a wheelchair user enough room to maneuver behind the council desk.
The chamber’s accessibility problems go beyond the lift. A January assessment found no accessible path to either the dais or assembly area, along with too few wheelchair spaces, limited vertical distribution of those spaces, heavy doors, high-mounted switches and signage, and staff desks without adequate knee clearance.
The project has been years in the making. Colorado Politics reported that a chamber design was completed in 2023 but deferred in 2024 before the council asked staff to revisit the project following a new Americans with Disabilities Act assessment.
During July 27 public comment, Aurora resident Aly DeWills-Marcano, who uses a wheelchair, backed the investment and argued that the improvements could reduce future liability while serving more than just wheelchair users. She also noted that Aurora has identified more than $2 billion in capital project needs over the next decade, putting the chamber work in the context of a much larger infrastructure backlog.
Why The ADA Rules Matter
Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, state and local governments must provide people with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in public programs, services and activities. The U.S. Department of Justice also says governments altering facilities must follow physical accessibility standards, making the chamber project both a civic-access issue and a compliance matter.
Public Feedback Opens This Week
The city plans to collect public input before construction details are finalized. Aurora’s Engage Aurora page lists an online survey beginning Wednesday and a public meeting next Wednesday about the proposed chamber improvements; the city has said comments will remain open through August 26.
The town hall is scheduled for 6 p.m. next Wednesday in the Aurora Room at the Aurora Municipal Center. After that feedback period, council members are expected to continue discussing the construction schedule, meeting logistics and the final path toward making the chamber usable by everyone who comes to speak, listen or serve.
