Podcast: Updates from Mayor Yemi

On the latest episode of Behind the Springs, Mayor Yemi Mobolade joins host Jen Schreuder to talk about recent summer celebrations, the future of 911 services, progress on addressing homelessness, the City budget, and back-to-school safety.

A summer of celebrations! Mayor highlights Pikes Peak's Guiness World Record and milestone anniversaries.

Colorado Springs has been celebrating all summer. This year Colorado turned 150 and America turned 250 and the City made sure it was an anniversary to remember. Pikes Peak hosted special experiences at the 14,000+ ft. summit, during which 285 participants helped set the Guiness World Record for the most people simultaneously dunking donuts into coffee.

Mayor Yemi praised the volunteers, community members, and City team who helped make the many Colorado 150 | America 250 events a success.

"I've been reflecting on what it means, even as an immigrant, to be an American," Mayor Yemi said. "I'm so proud for the opportunities that this country has given me."

On a personal note, Mayor celebrated a significant anniversary of his own this summer. August 11th marked 30 years since he first arrived in the United States.

While acknowledging the challenges facing the country, Mayor said he remains hopeful about its future.

"The American experiment is not over, and our story is still being written. At the end of the day, it's up to each of us to take on that responsibility to help write the next chapter," said Mayor Yemi Mobolade.

Speaking of Colorado Springs taking responsibility, what's the next chapter for 911 authority?

The City's announcement of pursuing a separate Colorado Springs 911 authority has recently made headlines. Mayor took this conversation as an opportunity to address this hot topic.

Colorado Springs residents contribute approximately 70% to 75% of the charges that fund the current 911 authority, while the City only receives about 40% to 45% of its resources.

"It is my intent to fight for our own fair share," said Mayor Yemi. "We're going back to the drawing board and seeing if there's room to negotiate a better path forward," Mayor Yemi said. "I'm hopeful."

Finding a better path forward for everyone. Mayor talks efforts addressing homelessness.

Homelessness remains one of the City's top priorities and one of its most complex challenges.

"There is no silver bullet solution because there's no single cause," Mayor Yemi said.

The Mayor recently announced the City's new Homelessness Response Team and provided an update on the Homelessness Response Action Plan, which includes 61 action items shaped by the City, residents, businesses, non-profit service providers, and people with lived experience.

Nearly 60% of those action items have already been completed, with another roughly 25% in progress.

Mayor Yemi reflected on the latest Point-in-Time Count, which showed a 19% decrease in overall homelessness and a 41% decrease in unsheltered homelessness. While promising, this data is contradicted by another measure that showed more people experiencing homelessness are accessing services.

Mayor Yemi stated, "Two things can be true at the same time." He believes these numbers help tell the same story: More people are connecting with available resources while unsheltered homelessness declines.

Looking ahead to the 2027 City budget and the Mayor's three areas of focus.

August marks the middle of budget season for Colorado Springs. As Mayor Yemi explained, the process began months prior to when City Council considers and votes on the budget in the fall. This year, the City's revenue is averaging about 5% higher than it was last year at this point.

While this is better than anticipated, Mayor Yemi said the City is remaining cautious about broader economic conditions. After finding $31 million in savings for the 2026 budget, including furloughs for many City employees, avoiding a repeat is a priority.

For the upcoming budget, Mayor Yemi outlined three areas of focus:

Taking care of the City team.

Taking care of the community.

Continuing to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.

Public safety, roads and infrastructure will also continue to be top priorities.

Mayor's request for drivers this back-to-school season: "Please slow down and look out for our kids."

As students across the City head back to the classroom, Mayor Yemi took this opportunity to remind everyone of the role they play in making it a safe school year.

"Many children in our city walk to school, including my own," said Mayor Yemi. He urges drivers to pay extra attention in school zones, watch their speed, and put distractions away.

"Our police officers are there. They're going to be watching," he said. "We don't want to give you tickets, but we will give you a ticket just to curb those driving behaviors."

Listen to the full conversation now, on Behind the Springs podcast!

From the future of 911 services and the City's homelessness response to budget priorities and back-to-school safety, there's a lot happening in Colorado Springs. Hear more directly from Mayor Yemi in the latest episode of Behind the Springs.