City HallWednesday, November 11
Denver City Council passes the $1.68 billion 2027 budget, 8-3
The AM Denver team
City Council passed Mayor Mike Johnston's amended $1.68 billion general fund budget on Monday night, and several members grumbled along the way. It grows general fund spending by 1% after two years of cuts and freezes. It avoids furloughs and layoffs and pays for repairs to seven road bridges.
The budget moved from public hearing to final vote in two weeks
- Oct. 26Renters urge council at a public hearing not to cut rental aid.
- Nov. 2Council approves five of the 16 amendments its members proposed.
- Nov. 6Johnston accepts the council's amendments in a letter.
- Nov. 9Council passes the amended budget 8-3.
Sources: Denverite, Denver Gazette
If you rely on rental help, here's the deal: council secured a compromise that sets Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance (TRUA) at about $8.5 million. TRUA gives up to six months of help, and the average recipient gets about $7,300.
Rental aid is set at $8.5 million for 2027, down from $15.1 million
Source: Denver Gazette
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| This year | $15.1 million |
| Johnston's first 2027 plan | $4.5 million |
| 2027 compromise | $8.5 million |
- Opposed: Alvidrez, Kashmann and Lewis; Gilmore was absent
- All funds: $6.08 billion, including airport and capital spending
- Merit raise: 2% for eligible employees, $10.4 million
- Eviction cases filed last year: 15,953
Not everything made it. Requests for more money for STAR, the program that sends unarmed responders to some emergency calls, were unsuccessful, and Councilmember Shontel Lewis, who is running for mayor, called the budget a moral failure. Johnston accepted the amendments Friday after council approved five of the 16 it proposed.
Sources: Denverite, Denver Gazette