Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 9 a.m. (Denver time), Parr-Widener Community Room, Room 389
0:33 And today, budget hearings
0:35 with our favorite one of our
0:38 favorite city departments,
0:39 Department Transportation,
0:40 Infrastructure. Just I will
0:42 start with introductions
0:44 around the and do want to
0:44 start off this morning. Yeah,
0:45 Emily Arnett chief operating
0:49 officer to the stabbing. Good
0:51 morning said in a Gonzales
0:52 because Councilmember Kevin
0:52 Flynn, southwest members
0:58 district 2, officers, tax,
0:58 Brockway Department finance
1:01 Justin Sykes, Department of
1:01 Finance and you get into
1:02 operating officer. It MAY be
1:05 Ford executive Jim Potter,
1:06 that it is well documented.
1:09 And Sawyer to survive. There
1:11 are lots fun this tonight
1:13 because of a chief financial
1:15 officer, Mayor Thanks for
1:18 being here. Do want to open up
1:19 with any comments for day to,
1:20 know, just thank you all so
1:22 much for your feedback.
1:23 Unhelpful comments. Thanks. A
1:24 lot of shame for all their
1:25 preparations. I know we have 2
1:26 sections of this conversation.
1:30 So I I think for it but stable
1:32 folks, little more
1:36 infrastructure and services
1:37 and Thursday when the war
1:38 Libyan capital of the that
1:39 we've laid out. And so I do
1:40 think questions across both
1:41 them, but we'll try leave time
1:41 to get to both. Thanks for
1:45 your interesting, too. Very
1:47 excited to do to so much. And
1:50 I would like to welcome
1:52 COUNCILMAN Hines with that
1:52 perfect 10 to the meeting to
1:53 different note to make sure
1:55 the accessible doors unlocked.
1:59 That be great only thing can
1:59 good We need to make sure that
2:00 some not. And then I would
2:01 like to welcome Councilmembers
2:04 online. If you want to
2:05 introduce yourselves. It's a
2:06 Jamie Torres was Denver
2:08 district. 3. Paul Kashmann
2:12 South Tendra District 6.
2:13 Wonderful about. But I want to
2:14 take any more time. Leave it
2:19 to director for taking thank
2:21 you. Council in and of a
2:23 dress. We're excited to be
2:26 here this morning. And as you
2:26 noted, we're all excited to
2:29 spend 2 days with you sitting
2:30 and talking about the job, the
2:31 budget. And what we wanted to
2:32 do today is we wanted to start
2:34 with the overview. We wanted
2:35 to start with the operating
2:38 framework here at Daddy. And
2:39 as you see this operating
2:39 framework, I think it's
2:40 important to understand a
2:43 couple of things are people
2:44 service our strategies, our
2:47 Capitol, our programming. They
2:48 are the ones who are behind
2:51 the system that makes it work.
2:52 We talk about the vision of
2:52 Dottie. It's easy to come up
2:54 and just think about Goodson,
2:56 things that you see physically
2:57 in the systems are in the
2:58 roads are in our pipes or
2:59 others. But the important part
3:01 understand with all of this is
3:03 that while our infrastructure
3:05 is visible, the operating
3:05 framework behind the scenes,
3:08 the keeps it moving isn't. And
3:09 so when we think about that,
3:11 it is every night every day,
3:13 every season we work around
3:14 the clock and whether it is
3:17 this crash that you saw the
3:18 traffic signal, you know, a
3:19 few weeks ago, several once
3:20 ago that our team was out
3:22 operating on and taking care
3:24 of or even the wastewater
3:26 urgency is that we had last
3:27 night and that some of our
3:27 team members here are last
3:30 night working on the work that
3:31 we do is often not seen by the
3:33 public because it is there to
3:36 keep this system moving this
3:37 system operating. It allows us
3:40 to can get how people move
3:41 help people thrive in the city
3:41 and county of Denver. And at
3:44 the core of it are those core
3:46 services that is always our
3:47 core function and
3:48 functionality is how we
3:49 preserve and manage those core
3:51 services here in the city of
3:52 Denver so that the city and
3:55 its residents can thrive. When
3:57 we think, though, about those
3:57 core business lines, we wanted
3:59 to talk just a little bit
4:01 about that. Again, it is all
4:03 under penned by one singular
4:04 focus. How do we preserve and
4:05 how do we operate the course
4:06 services and the core
4:08 infrastructure that keeps the
4:10 city moving and we do so over
4:12 across a variety of business
4:14 lines. The beauty of that
4:16 piece of it, though, inside of
4:17 Dottie and our structure and
4:20 how we operate is that each of
4:21 those relies upon the other.
4:22 There are synergies behind
4:23 that core element of what it
4:24 is to preserve and to build
4:25 the infrastructure that keeps
4:26 timber Friday. But as you
4:27 know, we have essentially the
4:29 several business lines. We
4:31 have a citywide infrastructure
4:33 side who is managing the
4:34 infrastructure that benefits
4:35 entire city, whether it's from
4:37 the pipes in the sewer, in the
4:39 storm systems to how we
4:40 control and manage the
4:41 buildings that are sitting
4:42 here on top of that that
4:43 really are allowing rest of
4:44 what we don't really control
4:47 and we build them and how we
4:48 then think about how people
4:50 get to those activities, the
4:50 transportation infrastructure
4:51 that lays on top of that. And
4:55 then we operated the
4:57 operations of those systems in
4:57 the operations that the
4:58 services that we offer to the
5:00 city and county of Denver and
5:01 are penned again by those
5:03 people who manage all of the
5:05 relationships and then we
5:06 continue to and look at how we
5:08 enforce that singular right of
5:09 way. And those elements that
5:09 make sure that the city
5:13 operates well. When we think
5:14 about that, then in terms
5:14 chart, we did just want to
5:17 want to drop back down. You
5:17 know, the simplification of
5:19 this or chart is really that
5:21 Dottie operates and business
5:23 lines that we operate across
5:25 the core system that really is
5:26 about infrastructure in the
5:28 preservation of services. And
5:28 we have several different
5:31 groups who manage We have
5:32 several different leaders.
5:33 You're going to hear from
5:34 basically 3 of us today. And
5:35 you could hear from a couple
5:37 of us tomorrow on Thursday,
5:39 but we're excited to show you
5:41 that the simplification of
5:41 daddy's or charge is actually
5:42 something that we've been
5:45 working on over the last few
5:46 years, too. And how we think
5:48 about again, a couple of
5:50 things. The overlap of
5:51 services, the center, she of
5:53 the relationships that are
5:53 different business lines have
5:55 with each other, the a
5:55 capacity to draw on different
5:56 resources as we go through for
5:57 things to come tournament to
6:00 finance to otherwise as well
6:01 as the delivery of exceptional
6:05 customer service. So when we
6:06 talk about the investments and
6:07 some of the paintings that we
6:08 wanted to talk about in this
6:11 budget this cycle is that
6:12 every investment in our
6:13 capital also creates an equal
6:16 investment on our rating. And
6:17 so when we think about the
6:17 growth of our infrastructure
6:20 and our systems here, we also
6:21 think about what the
6:22 commitments are about, how we
6:24 think about that long-term
6:25 preservation, the long-term
6:27 impact that it has on our core
6:28 services. So when you think
6:29 about our budget philosophy
6:31 this year, it's really based 3
6:33 tenants. The first is always
6:34 to protect those core
6:37 services, the services that
6:37 are the investments that we as
6:39 a city have made each other in
6:41 our infrastructure and our
6:44 facilities in our in our in
6:45 our systems and to assure that
6:46 those are the pieces to keep
6:49 moving every single day. The
6:50 second element that we think
6:50 about and again, it sounds
6:52 very redundant, but it is the
6:54 same is the preservation of
6:56 those assets. So not only are
6:58 we can sharing that we have
7:00 the operations that manage and
7:00 keep our systems moving in.
7:02 Our in our services going how
7:03 we ensure that the system stay
7:04 at the quality levels that we
7:07 need them to be. And that
7:08 plays itself across a variety
7:10 of areas, which is why in this
7:11 budget, as you see here and as
7:12 you see and Thursday, which
7:14 will talk about the vast
7:15 majority of the budgetary
7:17 dollars. Our about item number
7:19 2, the preservation of the
7:20 assets that we have already
7:22 have in our system. And then
7:23 lastly, our primary focus is
7:24 how do we continue to preserve
7:27 our workforce? Cut Cassidy,
7:27 how do we continue to maintain
7:28 it? How we ensure it and the
7:32 reason why for that, it's
7:32 because our people are who
7:34 turned that strategy into
7:37 just, for instance, when
7:37 service. And so you're not
7:39 you're funding through the
7:41 general fund, adding Fte, what
7:42 you're adding in is an
7:43 individual who can take
7:45 strategy and converted into an
7:46 service. You're adding a
7:47 planner in our wastewater
7:49 system who can design systems
7:50 and the and the in the pipes,
7:51 if you will, that feed the
7:53 investment that we make on our
7:54 capital side. Those people are
7:58 the engine under operates.
7:59 They are the secret to success
8:02 of how this organization works
8:03 to turn around and deliver for
8:03 and their job really is then
8:06 the city of Denver. And when
8:08 we think about that again,
8:09 just to if I if I haven't said
8:11 it once, say it 4 more times
8:12 is the focus again and what
8:13 our strategic outcomes really
8:16 are all about. It is about
8:17 that preservation of these
8:18 essential services in our
8:19 infrastructure. It's how we
8:21 build to the future. How we
8:23 think about what the services
8:24 and the systems that we needs
8:25 that are really going to
8:28 enhance the city and county,
8:28 whether its investments in our
8:29 rose to investments in our in
8:33 our sewer systems to how the
8:34 work that we do facilitates
8:36 economic growth and community
8:37 vitality. And all of that
8:38 wraps up into how we move in
8:39 really enabling. That's
8:44 thriving city. As we think
8:45 about that, our priorities. We
8:47 wanted to also come back to
8:49 yours and one of the things
8:50 that we wanted to make sure
8:52 that we reflected is how much
8:52 we overlap and share the
8:53 priorities of what a thriving
8:55 city is and what it looks like
8:56 and with you and what you've
8:59 said, are your priorities. But
9:01 you have in front of you as a
9:02 very response, if you well,
9:04 but it really it and
9:06 engagement about how the
9:06 programs in the services that
9:10 we operate and maintain
9:10 overlap with the priorities
9:11 that you have so thoughtfully
9:12 laid out for us as a city in
9:15 regards to community safety.
9:16 Climate response, how we think
9:18 about basic community
9:20 services. And while I want to
9:20 spend the time to go through
9:22 each one of these because
9:22 you're gonna see us deep dive
9:25 into this a little bit later,
9:26 what we wanted to be able to
9:28 articulate also is the budget
9:29 that is aligned with those
9:29 priorities and what it means
9:33 when we say that we're
9:34 supporting workers and
9:35 businesses, what we think with
9:36 our economic thriving and
9:36 Howard right of way system
9:40 works and how our contracting
9:43 partnerships really critically
9:43 help drive the capacity for
9:46 France's small businesses to
9:47 do work with So as we move
9:49 through this, I wanted to
9:49 consider that and talking a
9:53 little bit about equity when
9:53 we often come to this
9:55 discussion. We often show you
9:58 this map outlines and lays out
9:58 the investments that we make
10:02 is the city. How we think
10:04 about the investments over the
10:05 cross of the city in regards
10:07 to sort of are which as you're
10:08 aware, Dottie has a very
10:09 robust and extensive equity
10:12 assessment and consideration
10:13 and it helped guide helps
10:14 guide much of our investment
10:15 in what we do in our programs
10:18 and our projects. But it is
10:19 also when we talk about
10:20 equity, not just in what we
10:23 put out into the ground. It is
10:24 how we have relationships with
10:26 different partners in our
10:28 small businesses, medium-sized
10:30 businesses, the extensive
10:31 relationships that we have
10:33 with our does both programs
10:33 and how we sit and think about
10:35 what is it that people can
10:37 work with the city given that
10:38 we are a primary working arm
10:40 of the city and how they is
10:45 businesses can thrive. So from
10:46 our daddies, bagels and
10:47 business practices to our
10:49 programming that we have and
10:49 how we are mentoring helping a
10:51 small businesses and others
10:53 grow. These are also part of
10:54 our extensive equity programs
10:56 along with some work, fact
10:57 that we are doing right now
10:57 where we are doing racial
11:00 equity planning and thinking
11:01 inside of Dottie with each of
11:03 our different groups and
11:04 different divisions. So wanted
11:05 to emphasize some of that.
11:06 When we said we think and we
11:07 talk about equity, it is not
11:10 just an external relationship.
11:11 It is one that is also
11:11 internal inside of Dottie and
11:15 how we partner with community.
11:16 So as we talked about the
11:17 operating framework, let's get
11:19 into the numbers now in the
11:21 budget. So I want to take us
11:22 through the high level across
11:23 all of them. And then I'm
11:24 asking Cindy and Jim, to sort
11:26 of take you through different
11:26 divisional areas from our
11:28 wastewater to our solid waste
11:30 and others so that you all can
11:30 see and understand sort of how
11:32 this breaks down. Our
11:37 operating budget by source. It
11:38 is very similar. Almost like,
11:40 if you will, to what we had
11:41 last year in a proximate Lee,
11:43 450 Million Dollar Budget
11:45 program that is split out
11:46 among a variety of different
11:50 programs. As you can see here.
11:51 And so some of these are
11:52 enterprises engagement since
11:54 some of these are general
11:56 funded engagements. And so as
11:59 you notice the difference
12:00 again, just reference the the
12:01 the acronyms, another tms, the
12:02 transportation ability set
12:03 special revenue fund
12:05 value-based pricing to general
12:07 fund. But we're in the small,
12:07 far, far right corner. There
12:12 is a sidewalks. How we look at
12:14 this again from an operating
12:15 budget perspective. So
12:17 operating again is primarily