Here's what we know about how Denver city layoffs will work
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's administration is staying mum on the scope of layoffs set to begin Monday, fueling unease among employees and drawing criticism from inside City Hall and beyond.
Why it matters: It remains unclear how many municipal employees will be cut or which departments will be hit — leaving thousands in limbo who've dedicated their careers to serving the city, and leaving residents without answers to how the fallout will affect services they rely on.
What they're saying: "This has been the hardest leadership task I've probably ever had to undertake," Johnston told council members this week.
- The mayor says the job cuts are crucial to help close a projected $250 million budget gap over this year and next, driven by slowing sales tax growth and economic headwinds, including trade tensions and tariffs.
How it will work: Layoffs will roll out Monday through Friday, according to Johnston's administration.
- The city is determining layoffs using a "ranking tool" that scores employees on skills, abilities, performance and years of service — with tenure weighted at 25% across all departments.
- Severance will include 30 days of paid administrative leave, between two and eight weeks of lump-sum pay, full access to benefits for one month, a health insurance stipend through the end of October, and 120 days of access to the city's Employee Assistance Program.
- All laid-off employees will also receive a six-month LinkedIn Premium membership to aid in job searching.
The other side: Critics, including some council members, have accused Johnston of operating in the dark and eroding public trust.
- "The process has not been transparent" and lacks a "defined strategy," Councilmember Shontel Lewis said in a statement, adding that the layoffs have created "a culture of fear, anxiety, and not feeling valued."
- Workers "feel like Mayor Mike Johnston has betrayed them," Ronnie Houston, a longtime local organizer with the Teamsters union, told Fox31.
The bottom line: Next week will reshape Denver's workforce — and possibly its public services — for years to come. How the mayor manages the human and political fallout may matter as much as the budget math itself.