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Colorado Springs mayor touts housing, safety gains while seeking another term
At his final State of the City address of his current term, Mayor Yemi Mobolade highlighted lower apartment rents, faster emergency response and major business investments. He also acknowledged persistent pressure on household budgets, including a shortage of homes and child care.
Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade used his fourth State of the City address to promote his administration’s record on affordability, public safety and economic development as he campaigns for a second term in April’s municipal election.
Mobolade said average apartment rents in the city have fallen 7% since he took office, emergency call response times have improved and private businesses have invested more than $1 billion locally. He also pointed to a nearly 20% increase in police staffing.
The mayor’s claims came against a backdrop of continuing affordability challenges. Housing advocates and economists estimate Colorado Springs needs 20,000 to 30,000 more homes, while one-third of homeowners and half of renters are considered cost-burdened. Mobolade said the city is working to increase housing supply and expand housing options.
Child care is another constraint for families. El Paso County has nearly twice as many children under 5 as available child care spaces, Mobolade said. He said the city is easing zoning rules to make it easier to open child care facilities.
The city cut spending last year to address a revenue shortfall, but Mobolade said it protected essential services and reserves without raising taxes. Revenue has so far exceeded budget expectations this year, he said.
Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC President and CEO Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, who opened the event, raised concerns about Colorado’s business climate. She noted that CNBC’s ranking of the state as a place to do business dropped from fourth in 2022 to 25th in 2026, and cited regulations and permitting costs as contributing factors.
Mobolade, meanwhile, pointed to large investments in the city, including $463 million from UCHealth for Memorial Hospital North, $200 million from Weidner Apartment Homes for new units and $475 million from Swire Coca-Cola for a manufacturing plant. He also highlighted $63 million in work to modernize the Colorado Springs Airport terminal.
On public safety, Mobolade said the city is safer than when he took office, citing police staffing and faster emergency call pickup and response times. He also credited tools such as drones, while saying the city is arranging an independent external audit of police technology use to ensure accountability.
Homelessness remains a major challenge, the mayor said. He pointed to the latest Point-in-Time count, which showed a 20% decline in overall homelessness and a 41% decline in unsheltered homelessness, and said the city is beginning to see results from its five-year response plan launched last year.