Controversial pay raise proposal goes to vote by full Denver City Council
A Denver City Council committee on Tuesday moved to send a controversial pay raise proposal for a dozen mayoral appointees to a vote by the full Denver City Council. The proposed raises, with some as high as 30% to 40%, have stirred both support and opposition as they come at a time when the city is bracing for flat tax revenues.
The economic outlook has prompted city financial experts to warn that government agencies should keep expenses flat through 2026. Some budget-cutting steps are already in motion.
"There is never a good time to have this conversation," said council member Amanda Sawyer, who added that "We have to pay our people fairly."
The pay raises would cover a dozen mayoral appointees whose salaries are governed by the city charter, so it takes a city council vote to make the adjustments.
Among the pay bumps:
-A proposed 17.2% raise for the Manager of DIA, taking his salary from $347,000 to $406,000
-A proposed 43.6% raise for the Manager of Finance, taking that salary from $185,000 to $266,000
-A proposed 31.9% raise for the Manager of Human Services, raising the salary from $176,000 to $232,000
Jeff Dolan, Mayor Mike Johnston's Chief Strategy officer, and Carla Anthony, deputy director of human resources for the city, told the council finance and governance committee members that the appointees had not received any pay or merit increases since 2022, and that the salary increases were necessary to keep the city competitive and retain qualified department heads.
While several council members expressed support for the proposed increases, council member Flor Alvidrez expressed reservations, noting that some city janitors have already had their work schedules cut from four days a week to two.
"So when I compare the need of that person to someone making over $200,000, it hurts my heart," said Alvidrez.
Earlier this week, Denver property owners who have been paying their property taxes for years via credit card with no additional charges found out that starting May 1, they would be charged an additional 2.5% service charge if they opted to put their property taxes on their credit card.
The Denver Department of Finance said that in 2024, "The city absorbed over $17 million in credit card processing fees. This new service fee will help ensure the city's payment system aligns with the practices in surrounding jurisdictions and supports the cost of service." The department said the new card fee would apply to credit and debit card payments.
The question of appointee pay increases is scheduled to go to the full council in early June.
