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Aurora opens first public hearing on 2026 budget; residents urge review of policing costs and training
Summary
City staff held the first of two public hearings on the proposed 2026 budget. Several residents used the public comment period to call for auditing police spending, funding for training and attention to legal settlements related to police use-of-force incidents.
The Aurora City Council held a public hearing March 24 on the proposed 2026 city budget, hearing public comment and receiving a brief presentation from budget staff. The hearing was informational; no council vote on the budget occurred at the meeting.
Greg Hayes, budget officer in the city manager’s office, told the council the March hearing is one of two scheduled public hearings for the 2026 budget (the second will be in August) and said his role at the hearing was to listen and record public comment. Hayes did not present specific line-item proposals at the meeting.
During public comment, several residents urged the council to scrutinize the police budget and consider reallocating funds or auditing training and equipment purchases. Speakers, including Madian Shoffner and Kayoa Lewis, referenced recent fatal officer-involved incidents in Aurora and the costs of civil claims and settlements, and urged greater funding for de-escalation and anti-bias training. Other speakers tied calls for budget changes to community safety and to the city’s priorities.
Staff noted that the municipal budget process includes additional public input opportunities; councilmembers and staff said they will continue to receive public comment in subsequent hearings. The city did not take formal action on the budget at this meeting; council members asked no substantive budget questions after public comment and the record shows the hearing was closed for informational purposes.
City staff said the next public hearing on the 2026 budget will be held as part of the scheduled budget process later in the year, and that written comments will be included in the budget record.
