Author: Deborah Smith

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s bond proposal could eventually cost the city’s taxpayers close to $2 billion, officials said Monday night. The City Council received input from more than 100 residents at a public hearing on the proposed bond package and asked questions regarding Denver’s bond capacity and AAA bond rating. Citing economic uncertainty, the city’s Department of…

Just hours before the Denver City Council is to hear public comment on Mayor Mike Johnston’s $935 million bond proposal, the city released an updated project list, reflecting the latest round of revisions, including an additional $15 million for an American Indian Cultural Embassy. The additional funding for the center bring the cost to $20…

City officials on Monday will hear from the public about the Johnston’s administration’s proposed $935 million bond package, which the mayor argued is necessary spending as Denver faces what he described as a “turning point.” The mayor wants to use the money to fund roughly 60 projects, ranging from new facilities to parks improvements to…

This week will be a busy week for Denver City Council members with an exceptionally full agenda. There will be two public hearings on ballot referral measures during the 5:30 p.m. session. First, the Vibrant Denver General Obligation Bond items are scheduled for their first reading. There are five bills outlining specific categories of spending…

Calling it a “not-so-veiled” attempt to eliminate accountability for officers,” Denver Independent Monitor Lisabeth Pérez Castle sharply criticized a proposal by the Denver Police Department to permit officers facing disciplinary action or “lower-level” offenses to participate in educational training, rather than face punishments. During the first meeting of the city’s new Health and Safety Committee…

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s proposed $935 million general obligation bond initiative cleared one of its most challenging hurdles on Tuesday as members of the Finance and Business committee voted to move the measure forward to the full council body for consideration. Committee members approved five resolutions and a companion ordinance that, if endorsed by the…

Amid looming staff layoffs, a $250 million budget deficit and a host of other challenges, Mayor Mike Johnston outlined an optimistic vision for Denver on Monday in his second State of the City address. Marking the halfway point of his administration, Johnston addressed an audience of about 400, which included Gov. Jared Polis and former…

“Inhale slow and exhale fast — holding your breath won’t get you higher, but it will damage your lungs.” That’s just some of the advice found on a small flyer distributed by Access Point Denver to individuals who may use a glass bubble pipe to smoke meth or fentanyl. There are also instructions for crack…

The City and County of Denver has filed another lawsuit challenging the Trump administration over threats to withhold funding from so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions” that limit local enforcement of federal immigration law. The city joins close to 50 other jurisdictions in the lawsuit, filed this week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of…