Denver auditor's final investigations turn up the heat on City Hall
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Denver Auditor Timothy O'Brien. Photo: Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Denver's outgoing watchdog is taking one last look at how City Hall spends taxpayer money, including Mayor Mike Johnston's signature homelessness initiative.
Why it matters: Auditor Timothy O'Brien has repeatedly exposed spending and oversight problems across city government, fueling clashes with Johnston's administration.
Driving the news: O'Brien, who is term-limited after nearly 12 years in office, unveiled his final annual audit plan Monday.
- Residents submitted 40% more audit suggestions than last year — a spike O'Brien attributes to growing concerns about how the city is run.
On his 2027 radar:
- 🏠 Homeless shelters: A closer look at shelter contractors in light of issues surrounding safety, services and how taxpayer money is spent
- ✈️ Denver's airport: Scrutiny of Concourse A expansion costs and whether the airport's underground train operator is meeting maintenance and performance requirements
- 💰 Voter-approved taxes: Whether the city is collecting and sending money for Denver Health and Denver Public Library as voters intended
- ⚖️ City Hall's legal operations: How Denver handles settlements, hires outside legal services and works to prevent lawsuits
Between the lines: O'Brien told Axios that controversy over City Attorney Miko Brown's former law firm and the city's legal contracts prompted the legal operations audit.
The intrigue: O'Brien called poor oversight of city contractors the biggest unfinished business of his tenure, and a "systemic" leadership failure.
- "Ultimately … 90% of it comes back to the mayor's office," he told Axios in a sit-down interview.
👀 Behind the scenes: Asked whether Johnston's administration has resisted oversight more than its predecessor, O'Brien said, "In particular areas, I would say the answer is yes."
- O'Brien also alleges the administration is blocking an ongoing audit of Denver's budget process.
- "When somebody doesn't want you to look behind that door, you need to look behind that door," he told Axios.
Flashback: O'Brien's past audits uncovered poor tracking of homeless encampment cleanup costs, safety and financial oversight problems at city shelters and mismanagement of DIA's Great Hall renovation.
What we're watching: O'Brien leaves office in July, possibly before some planned investigations are completed.
- His successor could decide not to pursue them.
- He's endorsed Kharis Eppstein, an audit manager in his office, to succeed him.
The bottom line: O'Brien says his goal isn't to make headlines on his way out, but to preserve the office's independence and accountability long after he's gone.