COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade gave his 2026 State of the City address to a group at Broadmoor Hall, focusing on what he called the "Colorado Springs Advantage."
The speech focused on four questions Mobolade says residents are asking: "Can I afford to live here? Can my business succeed here? Am I safe here? As we grow, are we taking care of the city we love?"
He broke it down further, looking at affordability, business-friendliness, public safety, and infrastructure.
One of his main focuses is what Mobolade calls the "Colorado Springs Advantage," which he says in part is the sense that Colorado Springs continues to grow and gain new residents, showing data that says the city has the single largest numerical population increase in the state.
Mobolade noted the city is working to expand the housing supply and housing choice. He says more than $260 million in investments for affordable housing have been made, and rent is down around 7% from a 2022 peak.
"Affordability is not just about the cost of living," Mobolade said in his speech. "It is about the opportunity to live well, and a great city is one where the people who make it great can actually afford to stay, raise their families, and pursue their dreams. And where our extraordinary nonprofit community helps meet the needs and ensure that no one is left behind."
Mobolade says that during his tenure, the city has hired more than 320 police officers, and the average response time has dropped from more than 24 minutes to under 11 minutes. Mobolade also says that in the first half of the year, the city saw the second-largest decrease in car thefts and the fifth-largest decrease in homicides among 36 other similarly sized cities.
Mobolade also noted since 2022, his team, along with the City of Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado Springs Utilities, and more, has helped create over 6,700 new jobs and $2 billion in capital investment.
Mobolade also touched on expanding access to childcare during his tenure, noting that over 300 affordable homes for working families are being built alongside childcare.
The speech included data that said a record number of visitors spent over $3.1 billion in the Pikes Peak region in 2025. It also focused on increasing roads, including the five-week "Pothole Surge" and Safe Streets COS initiative.
More information, including a link to watch the full speech, can be found on the City of Colorado Springs website.
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