Overview
- City Council approved 10 of 27 amendments after nearly seven hours of debate earlier in the week.
- Because the mayor declined to veto, the amended plan becomes the official 2026 budget on Monday regardless of the council’s procedural vote.
- Restorations include $2.7 million for the Clerk and Recorder, $3 million for youth violence prevention, and $1.6 million for Safe Routes to School, plus funding for a jail crisis response team, Out of School Time, Denver Day Works, WorkReady, and the Auditor’s office.
- Mayor Mike Johnston warned the changes further tap reserves, which were about 11% in June, and may be difficult to sustain in 2027 without new funding sources.
- The outcome follows a difficult year with a roughly $200–$250 million shortfall, two furlough days and 169 layoffs, and a 2026 revenue projection of about $1.66 billion, while the council also rejected two bids to shift $9 million from police to housing.