Pueblo City Council to decide fate of needle exchanges on Monday

Pueblo City Council is expected to vote Monday night on an ordinance to ban needle exchange programs from operating in the city.

Such programs have been in Pueblo since at least 2014. They supply fresh needles and offer safe disposal of used syringes to people experiencing substance abuse disorder and other medical conditions, but have come under scrutiny from some local politicians over the past year.

City council supported funding an organization that also operates a syringe exchange in 2023, but the makeup of city council has since changed significantly — more than half of the seats on the dais are now filled by new councilors.

Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming vote on the ordinance.

Why the proposed needle exchange ban was introduced

City Councilor Roger Gomez, who ousted incumbent District 4 Councilman Vincente Martinez Ortega in November 2023 with nearly 60% of the votes, introduced the ordinance.

Gomez’s district includes parts of the South Side and Bessemer, where one of Pueblo's two syringe exchange programs is located. Gomez decried the program operated by the Southern Colorado Harm Reduction Association while campaigning.

“I am reminded of (Martinez Ortega’s) wondrous vote on the needle exchange program daily as I pass through the blighting and decaying Northern and Abriendo avenues leading to the I-25 entrance. We might as well just re-designate the area as Iraq Avenue,” Gomez said in a speech at a campaign forum last year.

Gomez said in a previous interview with the Chieftain that he has heard negative feedback about the program from constituents, including some local business owners.

Another syringe exchange program affiliated with the Colorado Health Network operates Downtown.

Recent council votes on syringe exchange programs

Several seats on city council have been occupied by new councilors since last year when council voted twice on funding a grant for the Southern Colorado Harm Reduction Association.

While council wasn’t directly voting on funding the needle exchange program run by the SCHRA, some councilors objected to giving the organization money for a new building where they would operate the program.

Council first voted 3-3 to reject a nearly $1 million allocation of federal COVID-19-related funding in April 2023, but revitalized the ordinance in July and passed it on a 5-2 vote.

The new ordinance originally included a provision that SCHRA could not use the facility to operate the syringe exchange program. That caveat was negotiated by then-Council President Heather Graham, who was elected Pueblo mayor by a wide margin in January.

Two councilors collaborated to remove the caveat from the funding agreement and the majority of councilors voted to fund SCHRA’s new building without restricting its ability to operate the needle exchange.

Graham, as well as Councilor Regina Maestri, cast the two dissenting votes in July.

How can Puebloans attend the meeting?

The city is planning for potentially large crowds for Monday evening when this ordinance is on the agenda.

If council chambers reach capacity, then an overflow area will be available on the first floor of City Hall. People testifying may be required to leave the chambers after speaking to allow additional people to come into the room.

Council chambers, located on the third floor of City Hall, will open at 4 p.m. Monday. The work session starts at 5:30 p.m. and the regular meeting is set to begin at 7 p.m.

The city of Pueblo said in a press release that people can testify virtually by calling 719-553-2669 between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Monday.

More: 'Trying to make sure people survive': Needle exchanges ponder future as Pueblo weighs ban

Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Will Pueblo ban needle exchanges? City council will decide Monday