Mayor Mike Johnston submits $1.76B proposed city budget

DENVER ( KDVR ) — Mayor Mike Johnston submitted Denver’s 2025 budget proposal , which includes using over $1 billion for public safety, a cleaner climate, the city’s youth and fixing up downtown — like finishing up 16th Street Mall.

Johnston submitted the proposal to the city council on Thursday, and hearings will begin on Monday.

Denver’s proposed $1.76B city budget for 2025

The $1.76 billion budget increased from last year’s, but only by 0.6%, which the city said was the smallest annual budget increase since 2011, excluding the pandemic.

The budget proposal is almost 800 pages long, but here are the highlights.

Vibrant Denver

Johnston suggests spending millions on the culture and community of Denver, like investing in neighborhoods, opening more businesses and restaurants and creating a “vibrant” downtown.

The money would go toward:

• $27.6 million – Workforce development and attracting new employers
• $6.4 million – Growth of small, disadvantaged, minority and women-owned businesses
• $2.5 million – Helping businesses on 16th Street and Colfax Avenue stay open during construction
• $1.4 million – Plans for growth and resiliency for communities across southwest Denver, downtown Denver and in La Alma Lincoln Park

Affordable Denver

The proposal also suggests expanding affordable housing that gives residents the ability to afford and stay in their homes.

The proposal includes:

• $74 million – Affordable and accessible health care and housing, including an increased budget for the safety net hospital, Denver Health
• $60 million – Preserving nearly 1,400 homes and investing in rehousing and creating housing for 3,000 households
• $57.5 million – Reducing unsheltered homelessness
• $22 million – Temporary rent and utility assistance for households most at risk for eviction and legal defense services in case of eviction
• $1.2 million – Cold weather shelters open 24 hours a day, seven days a week when the temperatures drop below 25 degrees

Safe Denver

The proposal wants to allocate millions to help put more first responders on the street, alternative responses to people in crisis and crime prevention.

The proposal suggests:

• $14.9 million – Investing in alternative programs for people in crisis
• $11.9 million – Academies to train new first responders
• $11.7 million – New Office of Neighborhood Safety and other programs, license plate readers to target auto theft, improved lighting in Paco Sanchez Park
• $1.2 million – New burn building for Denver Fire training

Great government

The city also wants to bring back local governments to communities, which includes:

• $2.5 million – Participatory budgeting, like using government staff to work with residents to budget neighborhood improvements
• $2.2 million – Transportation and mobility projects in neighborhoods
• 4% – Average merit increase for city employees

Key programs

The city plans to set aside money for the climate and youth, as well. Here’s where the money would be going:

• $13.4 million – Replacing city cars with electric vehicles when possible and charging stations for city vehicles and public locations
• $8.5 million – Affordable childcare, afterschool programming and preventing youth violence
• $3 million – Paid training, trade organizations and community groups for green jobs

Reserves and financial position

The city is also setting aside some money for the following:

• $220 million – Unforeseen economic challenges
• $12.5 million – Newcomer support

Hearings will begin Monday on the final budget plans, which will be decided in November.

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