By Sydney Isenberg , Landon Haaf | Denver7
With a 7-6 vote, the Denver City Council on Monday failed to override Mayor Mike Johnston’s veto of an ordinance that would have banned homeless encampment sweeps when temperatures dip below freezing.
City Council Ordinance 23-1960, introduced in December, aimed to revise the municipal code to prevent multiple city agencies from removing homeless encampments when temperatures 32 degrees and colder are in the forecast. It passed by a 7-6 margin on Jan. 29.. Nine votes were needed to protect the bill from mayoral veto.
The mayor and several citizen groups had voiced their opposition to the ordinance. Johnston officially vetoed the ordinance on Feb. 2.
In a letter to the council announcing the veto, Johnston said the bill would prevent the city from doing its work to move people indoors.