Denver’s auditor will join much of the rest of the city’s government in taking eight furlough days to help patch a budget shortfall resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“So many people are struggling with unemployment, furloughs and lost income right now,” said Auditor Timothy O’Brien, whose salary is approximately $150,000. “Taking this voluntary furlough alongside my team in my office is the right thing to do.”

The auditor’s office has been working remotely and has multiple information sessions planned virtually in English and Spanish about Denver’s new minimum wage requirements.

Denver’s charter does not permit changes to elected officials’ salaries while in office. As a workaround, O’Brien will have to donate eight days of pay to the city. The furloughs, expected to save $16 million, are a small portion of the $226 million budget deficit Denver is facing.

Most of Denver’s city council members have agreed to follow suit. One member, Candi CdeBaca, indicated that she would retain her salary rather than return it to the general fund that she alleged was “grossly mismanaged.”

“Standing with city workers means more than just making feel-good, symbolic gestures,” CdeBaca said last week. “They have a right to the truth about our city finances. And simply writing a check back to the General Fund fails to meaningfully address the plight of those who cannot afford to lose ANY days.”