More than 60 individuals signed up to weigh in on Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s proposed 2026 spending plan at a required public hearing at Monday’s City Council meeting.

While public comments spanned the gamut of city issues, many called for the mayor to restore funding to the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office and to provide additional funding for the city’s homeless.

Kevin Castillo, a mail ballot coordinator with the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s office, has guided many members of the City Council and other elected officials on tours of his office.

“Many of these tours concluded the same way: you thanked us for the work that we do. You watch your neighbors and constituents fulfill the promise of democracy, and you said, if we ever needed support, all we have to do is ask,” Castillo said. “I believe that moment has arrived.” 

Castillo said without adequate funding, six of the city’s 10 most used voting sites, like the Green Valley Ranch Recreation Center and the Blair Caldwell Library, will likely be closed in the 2026 primary.

Denver City Clerk Paul López and the mayor have been at odds over proposed cuts to the Denver Elections Office, even after Johnston came up with an additional $800,000 for the Clerk’s 2026 budget to pay for the anticipated increases in postage, paper and printing costs.

Despite the extra cash infusion, officials state the Clerk’s budget still needs $2.7 million.

“Every time we’ve underfunded access to the ballot, it wasn’t efficiency we gained, it was exclusivity,” said Denver resident Sandra Young.

Others called for millions more in funding for the city’s homeless shelters, particularly those that house families. 

Several of those providing testimony either have been or were homeless, citing concerns for the health and safety of children.

Councilmembers Sarah Parady, Shontel Lewis, and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez have suggested a $9 million budget amendment to fund a family shelter, according to a newsletter released by Parady’s office.

Supporters gathered on the steps of the city building Monday afternoon in support of the proposed amendment.

I’m here today to beg you, council, to vote in favor of additional funding in the range of $9 million for the family shelter,” Terese Howard of House Keys Action Network said. The Comfort Inn, which is being closed down as an individual shelter, or the Stay Inn, which the city currently owns, or many other sites could serve as functional sites for immediate options for family shelter. This is at a time when we have at least, 250 families on the wait list for family shelter.”

In September, Johnston delivered his proposed “cut to the bone” budget to the council, warning members that any amendments that add cuts to departments would trigger either cuts to core services or layoffs.

Angela Casias, legislative director for the mayor’s office, told members of the council that the mayor and the city’s finance department would work to “find every penny possible” to ensure there would not be further layoffs.

However, Casias added that a definitive answer could not be given until the council’s amendments are known.

Local labor organizer Lisa Calderón, who ran against Johnston in 2023, called for the council members to reject Johnston’s proposed spending plan, arguing it lacked transparency and was created without meaningful collaboration with the community and the council. 

“Council members, you are making a deal with the devil if you enable the mayor’s mismanagement, overspending and incompetence,” Calderón said. “I urge you to reject his budget and restore the jobs of city workers who built our government, long before Mike Johnston and his billionaire AI friends ever came to Denver.” 

Nov. 3 will be the final opportunity for the council to propose and vote on budget amendments.

On or before noon on Nov. 7, the mayor must accept or veto any council-approved amendments.

Any veto to be overridden by the City Council will be considered on Nov. 10, before the final budget is approved. A supermajority of nine votes is required to override a veto.