Author: Deborah Smith
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Loss of one-time funding sources to impact Denver’s shelter budget
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Denver’s Department of Housing Stability presented its slimmed-down 2026 spending plan on Monday as city budget hearings continue. With a projected general fund request of $71.6 million – down 0.13% from this year – HOST Executive Director Jamie Rife detailed the effects of the city’s loss of one-time federal funding, such as ARPA, for many…
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Denver budget hearings focus on public safety
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Day two of the public hearings for Denver’s proposed 2026 spending plan got underway on Tuesday with presentations from the city’s public safety agencies. As representatives from the Denver Department of Safety, Denver Police, Denver Fire, Denver Sheriff and the Department of Public Health and Environment shared plans for helping the city tighten its belt,…
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Denver budget hearings get underway
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Staring down a $200 million deficit, Denver kicked off its week-long series of budget hearings on Monday with more than 19 agencies slated to make presentations and nearly every department facing a cut. But at a time when the city would most likely need to bring in new businesses and create more jobs, one of…
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Colorado National Guard hosts first State of the Guard briefing
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Leaders of the state’s citizen-soldiers mustered alongside their civilian counterparts on Friday for the first-ever Colorado National Guard “State of the Guard” briefing, an effort to not only share what the Guard does, but how its mission fits into the fabric of the community they serve. More than 125 people, including local government and civic…
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Federal judge halts Denver city employee’s termination
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A federal judge has halted the termination of a Denver employee who lost her job amid the recent citywide layoffs directed by Mayor Mike Johnston to help close a $200 million budget gap. Jessica Calderon, who served as director of operations and innovation in the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity & Innovation, alleges she and…
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Denver clerk and recorder calls for budget amendment to fund 2026 elections
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Less than 24 hours after Denver Mayor Mike Johnston delivered his 2026 budget proposal to the city, Denver Clerk and Recorder Paul López has called for the City Council to consider an amendment to the mayor’s spending plan that would increase funding for his office. Johnston’s proposal for the coming year did not include the…
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Denver moves forward with composting and recycling enforcement
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More than two years after Denver voters approved a ballot initiative aimed at increasing recycling and composting across the city’s businesses, residential buildings, and construction sites, the city will now finalize implementation and enforcement. Denver City Council members voted 10 to 2 to approve Council Bill 25-0628, which amends the city code related to the…
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Johnston proposes a Denver budget that would ‘cut to the bone’
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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston unveiled his proposal for the city and county’s 2026 budget during a news briefing on Monday, saying the $1.66 billion general fund budget would “cut to the bone.” Johnston called the 5.8% reduction in spending, which aims to fill a $200 million gap, as the “most conservative” in 15 years. The…
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Denver City Council to vote on composting bill
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Monday’s Denver City Council meeting will see the return of several interesting bills for final consideration. The first, Council Bill 25-1208, proposes to amend existing ordinances to increase the number of board members of the Denver Downtown Development Authority (DDDA) and allow an option for City Council members, other than the current president, to serve…
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Denver backs legal challenge to Trump’s use of National Guard
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Denver has joined 26 other local governments in an amicus brief supporting California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s legal challenge to President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles. “In Denver, our residents are connected with police who live on the same streets they patrol and with officers who grew up in the same…
