The 2027 Long Bill's text is filed: $1.66 billion in General Fund spending, with the Fire Department getting the biggest increase

The full text of Denver's 2027 Long Bill, the annual appropriation ordinance, is now filed. The 34-page bill was prepared Nov. 10 by the Budget and Management Office and reviewed by the City Attorney's Office the same day (filed bill, 26-1638).

Why it matters: the Council adopted the 2027 budget 8-3 on Nov. 9 (our story), but the Long Bill is what legally authorizes the spending. It is up for first reading Monday, Nov. 16, and a final vote Nov. 23. It skips committee.

The totals

• General Fund appropriations: $1,661,272,824, up $18.4 million, or 1.1%, from the 2026 Long Bill's $1,642,853,548 (2026 ordinance).
• General contingency: $33,751,569, about the same as 2026's $33,475,962. This year's contingency is about to be spent down to zero (our story).
• Estimated revenue: $1,683,657,607, against $1,680,024,393 in total uses, adding $3.6 million to fund balance.
• Unassigned fund balance: projected at $198.3 million on Jan. 1, 2027, and $201.9 million at the end of the year. The 2026 bill projected $178.7 million at the start of 2026.

Where the revenue comes from

Sales and use tax is expected to bring in $970.7 million, up $42.3 million (4.6%) from the 2026 bill's estimate. Property tax is estimated at $186.8 million, down $8.3 million (4.2%). Lodgers' tax, occupational privilege tax, fines, fees and interest make up most of the rest.

Department by department

We lined up the 34 department and office lines in Section 1 of each bill. These are the starting appropriations each year and don't include changes the Council made during 2026.

Biggest dollar increases:

• Fire Department: $165.1 million, up $7.0 million (4.4%)
• Police Department: $285.3 million, up $4.8 million (1.7%)
• Sheriff: $178.0 million, up $3.7 million (2.1%)
• Parks and Recreation: $87.4 million, up $2.0 million (2.3%)
• City Attorney: $27.3 million, up $1.9 million (7.6%)
• District Attorney: $46.3 million, up $1.7 million (3.8%)
• County Court: $40.6 million, up $1.5 million (3.8%)
• Clerk and Recorder: $18.3 million, up $1.3 million (7.9%), the largest percentage increase

Decreases:

• Department of Housing Stability: $71.4 million, down $805,000 (1.1%)
• Safety Programs and Management: $33.4 million, down $313,000
• Technology Services: $95.8 million, down $159,000
• Board of Ethics: $338,820, down $14,172 (4%)
• Civil Service Commission: down $13,763

City Council's own line is $10.5 million, up 3.2%. The Auditor's Office, whose budget was part of this fall's dispute with the mayor (our story), is $16.1 million, up 0.4%. The Mayor's Office is $7.46 million, up 0.9%.

Other lines worth knowing

• Denver CARES, $1. The payment line for Denver CARES, the detox program run by Denver Health, is $1, as in the proposed 2027 Denver Health agreement (our story).
• Medically indigent care: $30.8 million.
• Transfers: $12.4 million to the Transportation and Mobility fund, $6 million each to the volume-based trash program and the Convention Center fund, and $2.54 million to the Fair Elections Fund.
• Pay: Career Service employees are eligible for merit increases under Career Service rules, and the bill again says they get no performance-based incentive payments. Employees under union contracts are paid under those contracts.

The airport's section appropriates $818.9 million for operations and $628.1 million for bond interest and retirement.

What our records add

Last year's Long Bill, 25-1813, passed on Nov. 24, 2025, and the mayor signed it two days later. This year's bill follows a budget whose five Council amendments the mayor accepted without vetoes (our story). We have not yet matched each amendment to a specific line in the bill.

What's next

Nov. 16: first reading. Nov. 23: final vote. The bill takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.