Denver City Hall spending draws criticism amid budget squeeze
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Big bills at Denver City Hall are drawing scrutiny as layoffs and budget cuts ripple through city government.
Why it matters: The expenditures undercut the city's budget crisis narrative and call into question its priorities as Denver leaders prepare to manage nearly $1 billion in voter-approved bond money.
Driving the news: Two taxpayer-funded tabs are raising eyebrows this week:
- Mayor Mike Johnston's administration has hit a $2 million cap on outside legal contracts tied to Denver's immigration policies, the Denver Gazette scooped. The city declined to provide itemized invoices to the Denver Gazette, citing attorney-client privilege.
- Meanwhile, City Council this month is launching a $1.5 million makeover to renovate its chambers, a project officials say is needed to meet federal accessibility standards, improve safety and modernize the space.
Between the lines: Unlike Johnston's legal bill, the council renovation isn't paid out of the city's strained general fund.
- Instead, it's funded through the taxpayer-backed Capital Improvement Fund and a dedicated ADA improvements program — legally restricted dollars that can't be used for staffing or operations.
What they're saying: Former city worker and mayoral candidate Lisa Calderón calls the spending "tone-deaf."
- Calderón tells Axios Denver that the city's spending choices are "insulting to our city workers" and come "at the cost of hundreds of city workers who suffered permanent and devastating changes to their lives" during layoffs last August.
- Scott Gilmore, Denver's former deputy executive parks director who was among those laid off, says these expenditures are a "gross mismanagement" of city dollars. "This mayor has basically spent money like he has an unlimited source of funds," he tells us.
The other side: Council President Amanda Sandoval tells Axios Denver the chamber renovation has been in motion for years, with planning starting in 2021 and funding identified in 2024 — before the latest budget cuts.
- It's necessary, she says, to ensure "every Denver resident can fully participate in their local government."
Johnston's office says the legal spending was necessary to prepare for the mayor's congressional hearing last March and to continue providing guidance on the city's immigration policies.
- "Denverites may rest assured that any frustration associated with this hearing and its price tag are shared by the Mayor's Office, which neither asked for nor wished to travel to our nation's capital for an embarrassing sham in which four U.S. mayors were threatened with prosecution for the terrible offense of not letting women and children freeze to death," Johnston spokesperson Jon Ewing told us in a statement.
What's next: City Council's renovations are scheduled to finish in June, and meetings will temporarily move to a smaller room in City Hall.
- Residents are encouraged to watch remotely or testify via Zoom or phone in the meantime.