The Denver City Council will ask Mayor Mike Johnston for major revisions to his 2026 budget proposal, including restoring rent assistance money he planned to cut and growing the budget for the Office of the Clerk and Recorder by millions of dollars.
Council members considered 35 potential amendments to the mayor’s budget proposal during a meeting Thursday and ultimately agreed to ask him to consider 16 of them. All together, the changes would add about $18.7 million in costs to the proposed $1.7 billion general fund, which is the part of the city budget that covers many day-to-day expenses.
The requests come during a tight budget year for the city. Johnston announced in May that his staff estimated there would be a $200 million revenue shortfall in the coming year. In August, his administration laid off 169 city employees to begin addressing that gap. His budget proposal detailed further cuts to the budget to make up for the rest of the shortfall.
The requested changes range from restoring cuts to budgeting for growth in certain programs. Some of the costliest asks are designating $7 million for Denver’s Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance Program, increasing Clerk and Recorder Paul López’s budget by $4.5 million, adding $2 million to the Safe Routes to School program and setting aside $1.4 million for right-of-way enforcement.
Under Johnston’s proposal, the remaining $9 million in this year’s rental assistance program fund this year would be moved to next year, bringing the 2026 allocation to about $12 million. The program has been paused.
Council members also agreed to ask Johnston not to cut back the budget of the Denver Auditor’s Office and to set aside money to rehire some parking magistrates so that residents can easily dispute tickets. The county court eliminated positions that handle online appeals as part of its budget cuts.
Council president Amanda Sandoval said she planned to send a letter outlining the proposals to the mayor’s office Friday. The council’s recommendations — only some of which are unanimous — mark one of the only ways the city’s legislative branch can have an impact on next year’s budget.
“This is one of the most crucial periods of time right now,” Councilwoman Jamie Torres said during the budget workshop.
Under Denver’s strong-mayor system, Johnston’s administration has wide latitude to write the city’s fiscal plan. He will get to decide whether to accept or reject the council’s recommendations. The council then can vote on whether to force amendments — which requires a supermajority.
Last month, after the mayor unveiled his budget proposal, Denver’s elected Auditor Tim O’Brien wrote a frustrated letter to Johnston after he suggested cutting the auditor’s budget by nearly $500,000. O’Brien said he thought that as an independent agency, Johnston didn’t have the authority to cut his budget.
López expressed similar frustrations after the proposal suggested cuts to his office, suggesting he’d have to make major reductions in election services and voter drop boxes ahead of next year’s midterms.
The council, which took a straw poll Thursday to determine which ideas had majority support, was split on many of the suggested asks of the mayor’s office.
But those who participated agreed unanimously on two requests: one that would have the mayor’s office list all of Johnston’s staff members under the mayor’s office budget, rather than spreading them out among various departments; and another that asks for $30,000 for a fund that helps neighborhood organizations hire lawyers to represent them in licensing proceedings.
Still unclear is how the city will pay to fulfill the council’s requests, should Johnston accept any. Council members typically don’t specify how the budget should change to accommodate their suggestions.
Several proposals were narrowly rejected, including suggestions to dedicate $2 million to the Denver Basic Income Project, $500,000 to begin studying a northern extension of the Broadway bike lane and $9 million for an additional noncongregate family shelter.
Councilman Paul Kashmann was absent.
The mayor’s office is set to release a revised budget and a response to the council by Oct. 20. The council has until Nov. 10 to approve the final budget.
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