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Denver City Council rejects mayor's proposed 2026 budget after sharp debate over transparency
Summary
After hours of debate over transparency, independent-agency funding and revenue shortfalls, Denver City Council voted 6-6 on a motion to adopt the mayor's proposed 2026 budget, and clerks determined the budget was not adopted. Several councilmembers said accepted amendments and a later "long bill" vote next week will determine final appropriations.
Denver City Council rejected the mayor's proposed 2026 budget on Monday after a contentious debate about process, transparency and what council members called inadequate information about revenues and unspent fund balances.
Councilmember Gilmore moved to adopt the mayor's proposed 2026 budget, but a succession of speeches from both yes and no votes made clear the council was divided. Councilmember Sawyer opened the debate by saying she would vote no, praising the Department of Finance's work but faulting the administration for a lack of transparency and for not sharing sufficient budget detail with council: "I am a no on this budget... The lack of transparency, the lack of accountability, the lack of information sharing is incredibly frustrating," she said.
Other council members who announced no votes echoed Sawyer's concerns. Councilmember Gilmore said she could not vote for a budget that lacked timely information for oversight, while Councilmember Alvidrez and others said they learned of program cuts from media reports and constituents rather than from the administration. Alvidrez also noted a $3 million rent shortfall by a private tenant as a missed funding opportunity for independent agency needs.
Those supporting the budget said council's amendments were accepted by the mayor and restored several priorities. Councilmember Torres outlined a list of amendments and restorations she said strengthened the package, including replenishment of immigrant services, funding for a food summit, restoration of the auditor's office budget and creation of an initial $3 million community-led safety grant. Councilmember Watson credited roughly $9.8 million in council-led amendments and praised department staff for their work.
The motion to adopt was put to a roll-call vote after debate. Clerks initially misannounced results and then corrected the record: the final count was announced as 6 ayes and 6 nays, meaning the mayor's proposed 2026 budget did not pass adoption at this meeting.
Council members and staff repeatedly stressed this was not the end of the budget process. Council President Sandoval and others noted that a separate "long bill" next week will formally appropriate funds for 2026 and that amendments accepted by the mayor could become effective with a later supermajority vote. Several members urged process reforms, including better timelines for sharing budget actuals and clearer oversight on expenditure of unspent fund balances.
What happens next: Council will take up the long bill next week, which is the instrument that actually appropriates the funds for 2026. Several councilmembers said they intended to press for clearer processes and earlier engagement with the administration before the next budget cycle.
