The Colorado Springs City Council is expected to reconsider its vote on Tuesday that blocked Palmer High School from moving forward with a planned expansion across Boulder Street.

Councilmember Brandy Williams asked on March 13 to reconsider her vote against closing Boulder between Nevada Avenue and Weber Street, according to city records. Williams was on the “no” side of a 4-4 tied vote on the proposed ordinance during the March 10 council meeting. The decision failed because the vote ended in a tie.

Colorado Springs School District 11 requested the road closure as part of the middle phase of a $100 million renovation of Palmer High School in downtown Colorado Springs. The road closure would allow the two blocks currently taken up by the high school to be united, removing an intersection crossing for students and allowing the school to build a new athletic track.

Palmer High students and district staff told the council that closing the road would be safer and more effective for future classes at the school. Residents who opposed the closure argued that losing a block of city street near downtown would delay emergency responses by removing a straight path between UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central and downtown.

District 11 spokesperson Jessica Wise said Friday that the school district leaders had not requested that any councilmembers reconsider their vote. Wise said she had only found out the ordinance would be back on the agenda in the last 24 hours.

“This all seems like slightly uncharted territory,” Wise said. “We are working with city staff and others to figure out what we need to answer, what information needs to be available on Tuesday.”

Wise said the district had not made any changes to the original Palmer High School renovation plan since the last council meeting, as a new design would need to be a “community conversation.”

At the March 10 council meeting, Williams said she voted against closing the road because Boulder Street was a “very crucial” connection to that section of Colorado Springs.

Williams could not be reached for comment Friday morning about why she wanted to potentially change her vote.

The City Council rules allow a vote to be reconsidered at the same council meeting or at the next meeting after the original vote. The motion has to be made by a councilmember who was “with the majority” on the initial decision.

City Council spokesman Alex Ryden explained that because an ordinance fails on a tie vote, Williams had technically been in the majority at the March 10 meeting.

“If Councilmember Williams had been on the opposite side of the 4-4 tie she would not have been able to make a motion to reconsider,” Ryden said via email.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the council is expected to vote on whether to open the issue for reconsideration. If that motion passes, the council can then revote on the ordinance.

The City Council approved the zoning changes and land use plan that were requested for the Palmer High School project at its meeting earlier this month.