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Tag: Denver City Council

City of Denver Moves to Block Trump Lawsuit on Immigration Cooperation
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Local, Approved, The Denver Gazette

City of Denver Moves to Block Trump Lawsuit on Immigration Cooperation

By Julia Fennell | The Denver Gazette Denver is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration over the city's "sanctuary" policies. The motion, filed on Monday in a U.S. district court, insisted that the laws of both Colorado and Denver do not impede federal immigration enforcement and that “the federal government has no right or ability to compel local municipalities to help it achieve its political objectives.” “We’re not sure if they don’t understand the laws or just don’t want to follow them, but Denver has never violated federal statute,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement. “We’re not changing our laws, we’re not changing our values, and we’re not backing down from this meritless lawsuit. The federal government will not be successful in ...
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Taxpayer-Funded Mountain Retreat Moves Ahead Amid Denver Layoffs
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Taxpayer-Funded Mountain Retreat Moves Ahead Amid Denver Layoffs

By Brian Maass | CBS Colorado Ten of Denver's 13 city council members are planning to attend a $26,000, two night, one day retreat in Colorado's foothills next week for team building and professional development, at the same time the city is laying off workers and trying to find ways to cut costs and save money. "We signed this contract prior to knowing of any budget shortfall," said Council President Amanda Sandoval, who pushed for the trip at the Lone Rock retreat in Park County. "We signed this contract prior to knowing of any furlough days, we signed this contract prior to knowing of any layoffs," said Sandoval. She said the council retreat had been in the works since December 2024, and the contract was signed May 8. Two weeks later, Mayor Mike Johnston revealed the depths ...
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From $6B to $950M: Denver’s ‘Vibrant’ bond trims housing while boosting cultural projects and road funding
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Denverite, Approved, Local

From $6B to $950M: Denver’s ‘Vibrant’ bond trims housing while boosting cultural projects and road funding

By Kyle Harris, Andrew Kenney | Denverite The Denver City Council made final changes to the debt proposal, which is likely heading to voters this November. Denver City Council members made tens of millions of dollars of changes to the Vibrant Denver bond proposal on Monday night. The council added funding for traffic calming measures for two major avenues, but reduced funding for affordable housing. The final package also includes more funding for an American Indian Cultural Embassy. The proposal would ask Denver voters this November to approve $950 million of debt funding for nearly 60 infrastructure projects, ranging from rebuilding bridges to building new parks and maintaining cultural attractions. On Monday, city leaders added: $15 million in funding for an Amer...
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Feds Take Aim at Colorado Sanctuary Laws that Protect Illegal Alien Criminals
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State, Approved, denvergazette.com

Feds Take Aim at Colorado Sanctuary Laws that Protect Illegal Alien Criminals

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette The U.S. Department of Justice has filed an amended complaint against the state of Colorado and the city of Denver over sanctuary policies. The lawsuit was initially filed in May, but the amended complaint, filed last Friday, also targets the lawsuit filed last week by Attorney General Phil Weiser against a Mesa County deputy sheriff. The Weiser lawsuit alleges Deputy Alexander Zwinck shared information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement about a 19-year-old nursing student who was the subject of a traffic stop. The student was later picked up by ICE and detained for two weeks and released on bond. The Weiser lawsuit claims Zwinck broke Colorado laws that forbid Colorado state and local government employees from cooperating or s...
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Denver’s $800M bond plan sparks backlash over priorities, transparency
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Denverite, Approved, Local

Denver’s $800M bond plan sparks backlash over priorities, transparency

By Paolo Zialcita | Denverite The package can still change significantly depending on actions from the mayor and Denver City Council. On Tuesday, we learned how the city plans to spend $800 million from a proposed new bond package. Members of the Vibrant Denver bond’s executive committee unveiled the project list after weeks of work to pare down ideas from city agencies, organizations and neighborhoods.  The bond process was criticized by community members and city officials for being rushed and not properly incorporating public feedback — and Tuesday’s rollout drew a strong reaction, too, with some Denver City Council members implying they could vote to block the proposal. The package will go before voters in November, though the project list could ...
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Denver City Council braces for layoffs, deep cuts—but Mayor Johnston delays details
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Approved, Denverite, Local

Denver City Council braces for layoffs, deep cuts—but Mayor Johnston delays details

By Kyle Harris | Denverite Here’s what Denver City Council members said at their big budget meeting. The Denver City Council met atop Lookout Mountain at Golden’s Boettcher Mansion last week to plan for the 2026 budget. The elected leaders knew they would likely need to make cuts — but nobody knew just how bad the city’s fiscal situation might be. “I’ve been hearing rumors of layoffs and furloughs,” Councilmember Stacie Gilmore said as the all-day meeting began on Friday. The city’s rumor mill is spinning furiously, with some employees fearing budget cuts up to 30 percent, Gilmore said. That would be an extraordinarily high number for an overall budget cut, considering city revenues shrank by 9 percent amid the 2008 financial crisis. Asked for more detail, Gilmore reiterated...
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Denver advances NWSL stadium plan with unclear funding, councilwoman warns of tradeoffs
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver advances NWSL stadium plan with unclear funding, councilwoman warns of tradeoffs

By Deborah Grigsby | Denver Gazette Members of the Denver City Council approved an intergovernmental agreement between the city and the Broadway Station Metropolitan District, which moves the city closer to having a National Women’s Soccer League stadium at Santa Fe Yards at a potential price tag of $70 million. That price tag still needs the council's final approval in a vote expected several months away. The City Council chambers erupted in applause on Monday after the 11-1 vote, which followed an extended discussion of the agreements and what exactly the city is “on the hook for.” Although approval of the IGA does not obligate the city to the funding, according to City Attorney Brad Neiman, it provides the framework for the public-private partnership discussion to move forwa...
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Denver approves executive pay hikes while facing budget shortfall and reserve drop
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice, Top Stories

Denver approves executive pay hikes while facing budget shortfall and reserve drop

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice A set of salary increases for top Denver officials is drawing criticism, as the city faces continued financial strain and modest pay growth for most employees. The raises are included in the 2025 budget—totaling $1.76 billion—which the Denver City Council approved on November 12, 2024.  On May 6, the City Council’s Finance & Governance Committee approved nearly $500,000 in pay increases for 12 charter-appointed department heads. These changes are expected to add over $216,000 to general fund expenditures this year, with individual increases ranging from 4% up to an eye-catching 43%. The new salaries are scheduled to take effect on July 1. The move has sparked frustration among some observers, who point to small...
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Denver kills camera contract over ICE fears, leaving crime-fighting tools off the table
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Denver kills camera contract over ICE fears, leaving crime-fighting tools off the table

By Heather Willard | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — On May 5, the Denver City Council failed to approve a contract extension with Flock, a tech surveillance company that has been contracted to provide over 100 license plate readers around the county. The city first contracted with Flock in March 2023, with the original agreement lasting through the end of this February. The amendment would have extended the contract by another two years for $666,000. The original contract cost the city $339,450, but the cost wasn’t the main reason why council members voted no. Instead, the members cited privacy concerns, questioning who has access to the data as Denver continues to remain in the crosshairs of the Trump Administration for so-called “sanctuary laws.” Members worried that ...
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Denver council weighs $70M pitch for soccer stadium expected to bring $2.2B
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver council weighs $70M pitch for soccer stadium expected to bring $2.2B

By Deborah Grigsby | Denver Gazette As Denver's elected officials weigh a push for $70 million in spending along Interstate 25 and Broadway Avenue, economists and business leaders hope the buzz around the city’s new National Women’s Soccer League team rubs off on councilmembers who have pushed back on the project’s price tag. Supporters argued that the proposed stadium would serve as a major economic "jolt" to South Broadway, while councilmembers are worried about shrinking revenues and redirecting interest money originally slated for a slew of projects funded by a bond voters approved a few years ago.    City economists published a 19-page economic impact study last week, projecting that a 14,500-seat stadium and entertainment district could generate $2.2 billion in eco...
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