Mountain venue refunds Denver City Council money after retreat postponed amid budget shortfall

Just days after the Denver City Council had decided to postpone a $26,000 mountain retreat amid layoffs and a budget shortfall, the venue where the event was planned has agreed to refund that money. On Tuesday, the city council announced it would be postponing the pricey retreat after CBS Colorado Investigator Brian Maass's report on the timing of the retreat.

Ten of Denver's 13 city council members had been planning to attend a $26,000 retreat in the foothills near Bailey Aug. 27-29 for team building and professional development. That retreat was postponed, and on Thursday, Maass learned that the city council would not lose any money on the planned retreat. 

The city council confirmed that Lone Rock retreat in Park County has agreed to refund $16,500 that was already paid and the other costs have been voided. The other $10,000 was earmarked for the facilitator and transportation, but the city council said they were able to cancel those commitments, so they won't lose any money. 

Earlier this week, Sandoval had told Maass that the council retreat had been in the works since December 2024, and the contract was signed on May 8. Two weeks later, Mayor Mike Johnston revealed the depths of the city budget problems that would necessitate city workers being laid off, others needing to take furlough days and belt-tightening across city agencies.

Sandoval stated in an earlier interview that she had tried to void the contract to get the city's money back, but at that time, it was not an option.