URA seeks $458,000 supplemental appropriation for South Nevada security pilot; council presses for metrics

The Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority asked council on July 13 for a supplemental appropriation of $458,000 from the retail marijuana tax fund to contract Fidelis Security Solutions for security services in the South Nevada corridor.

Dreya Walker, executive director of the URA, said the corridor has lost sales tax increment and businesses have expressed safety concerns. She described a heat map of frequent calls for service and said URA and private partners plan a multi-year (three-year) effort to deter problematic activity and encourage new development. "We believe this is a necessary solution to ultimately meet that goal," she said.

Council members focused on accountability and measures of success. Councilmember Casey asked whether the contractor's pay would be tied to reductions in incidents or to heat-map improvements; Walker said payment is hourly but that the URA intends to set up a committee to agree performance metrics, and that data (calls-for-service, drone and camera coverage, and heat-map changes) will be tracked. Chief of Police Adrian Vasquez said CSPD would partner operationally but does not automatically get direct access to private drone feeds without an agreement.

Concerns and equity: some council members worried that city tax dollars concentrated in one corridor could create unequal coverage across neighborhoods. Councilmember Donaldson suggested alternatives such as redeploying police bicycle units or city-wide investments; Chief Vasquez noted hiring and training timelines for sworn officers make private-public pilots a near-term supplement.

Next steps: URA staff said they will return with committee structures, agreed metrics and contract terms that include the ability to pivot or cancel if the pilot is ineffective. No appropriation or vote occurred during the work session; the item will proceed through the regular agenda process for council consideration.