2 Denver City Council members reject request to give up salary for furlough days, calling it "principled decision"

A pair of Denver City Council members- Flor Alvidrez and Shontel Lewis- have rejected a call for members of the Denver City Council to voluntarily reimburse the city for 2025 furlough days, with both elected officials saying their decisions were "principled."

CBS Colorado obtained records from the Denver City Council showing that 11 council members voluntarily reimbursed the city for 2025 furlough days, with reimbursement amounts ranging from $762.60 up to $1,969.92. Most of the council members' reimbursements were around $1,300.

Facing a massive budget deficit, Mayor Mike Johnston announced in 2025 that all 15,000 city employees would be required to take between two and seven unpaid furlough days before the end of 2025. The number of furlough days was determined by the employee's salary. The furloughs were part of a slew of measures taken to try to help bridge the deficit gap.

But city council members' salaries are set by city ordinance and cannot be changed during their terms in office. Councilmembers are paid about $110,000 per year, while the council president makes about $124,000 annually. Johnston asked council members to voluntarily reimburse the city for five furlough days. Most did. Some did not.

"I'm a city employee like all the others who took furlough days... and I'm going to sacrifice willingly in support of the many who sacrificed furlough days without a choice. Most people didn't get an option", said Denver City Councilman Chris Hinds, who reimbursed the city $1,271.

Amanda Sandoval, council president, was asked to reimburse for six furlough days, and records show she wrote a check to the city for $1,969.92.

Council member Kevin Flynn reimbursed $1,460.80 and told CBS Colorado he agreed to the furlough reimbursement because, "We are not immune from the consequences of the votes we collectively make on running the city."

But city council financial records show council representative Shontel Lewis did not provide a reimbursement for furlough days.  

"This was not an oversight but a deliberate, principled decision," wrote Lewis.

"... Asking workers to return wages they have already earned is an unreasonable and counterproductive approach to our budget challenges. It places the burden on the very people who keep our city running, many of whom are already balancing rising costs and family responsibilities," wrote Lewis. 

She said the voluntary reimbursements are "merely symbolism... it looks like shared sacrifice, but the actual impact on the structural deficit is limited... Common sense says it does nothing to materially fix a $250 million budget crisis."

According to Denver City Council records, $14,462.62 has been collected from 11 council members for the furlough days.

Council member Flor Alvidrez explained her decision not to reimburse for five furlough days, saying she "continued working on those days, without staff support, and the income in question was earned. The request for elected officials to return an equivalent amount was voluntary, and I chose not to do so. I believe," said Alvidrez, "the real responsibility is ensuring we manage the city's finances in a way that prevents furloughs from happening in the first place."

Each council person has office staff who were required to take furlough days.

Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for Mayor Johnston, said, "Generally, it's common practice for everyone to take part in solidarity. Furloughs were a tough but necessary short-term tool to balance the 2025 budget and helped the city avoid additional impacts on employees."