Denver's auditor says the mayor's office is stalling his budget audit. Here's what's at stake

Denver's two independently elected financial watchdogs are in a public dispute again.

Auditor Tim O'Brien says Mayor Mike Johnston's administration is blocking his office's audit of how City Hall builds its budget, Axios Denver reported on Oct. 21. According to Axios, O'Brien's office says the administration has not provided specific documents and examples it asked for, some for more than a year. The mayor's office disputes this. A spokesperson told Axios the city has cooperated with auditors for months and has turned over hundreds of pages of documents.

Why it matters to residents: the audit looks at how Denver decides what to spend, just as the Council finishes the 2027 budget. Denver's charter gives the auditor broad access to city records, Axios noted. If the audit stalls, the public loses an independent check on that process. Neither side's account has been independently confirmed, and no court or outside body has ruled on the dispute.

Background

The two offices have clashed before. In April, Axios wrote about the strained relationship. In 2025, CBS Colorado reported that O'Brien publicly told the mayor to stop interfering with his budget. Hoodline reported that O'Brien also says the mayor's office cut his office's 2026 budget, which he argues it had no authority to do. Separately, the auditor's office has laid out the reviews it plans for 2027, The Center Square reported.

What our records add

Voters will decide a question about the auditor's office on Nov. 3. The Council sent a charter amendment to the ballot that would expressly say the Auditor's Office may keep enforcing wage, worker-protection and other workplace-rights laws. That is Council Bill 26-0687, sponsored by then-Council Member Sarah Parady and Council Member Amanda Sawyer (Legistar).

The roll call, from the July 13, 2026 Council meeting:

• Yes (11): Alvidrez, Gilmore, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Hinds, Kashmann, Parady, Romero Campbell, Sandoval, Sawyer, Torres, Watson
• Absent (2): Flynn, Lewis

The Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee had approved it for filing on May 19 by a 6-0 vote, with Gilmore absent. Axios reported that the measure has no organized opposition.

The ballot question is about wage enforcement, not the budget audit. Still, both concern how much independence the auditor's office has.

The budget process itself has been rewritten this year. In July the Council passed 26-0867, which sets steps for the mayor and Council to handle budget changes and requires community engagement. It passed 12-0. The Council also referred 26-0864, the two-year budget charter question, to the ballot.

The auditor's work comes up at Council. Our transcript search shows members citing past audits in debate. At the Oct. 5 Council meeting, Council Member Jamie Torres noted that problems sometimes come to light through Denver auditor audits (video). Search what was said at meetings for more.

What's next

• The Council holds its required public hearing on the 2027 budget on Oct. 26 (agenda), with a final vote listed for Nov. 9.
• Ballots for the Nov. 3 election include the auditor charter question. You can find the official text in the Denver Clerk and Recorder's ballot information booklet.
• O'Brien's term ends in July 2027, Axios reported, so some of these audits may be finished by his successor.