How each Denver Council member voted on the 2027 budget amendments

The city's legislative system has now posted the roll calls from the Denver City Council's Nov. 2 amendment night, filling in what we couldn't report in yesterday's story. The records were updated Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 3, and the meeting's minutes are still marked draft (meeting, Legistar).

Why it matters: these are the votes that decide what the Council asks Mayor Mike Johnston to change in his 2027 budget. They also show which ideas could survive a veto, which takes nine votes to override.

The results, amendment by amendment

Twelve amendments were formally offered. Each needed seven of the 12 sitting members. All 12 members voted on every one.

Passed (5)

• Rental assistance, $1,724,038, 26-1673: 10-2. No: Kevin Flynn, Amanda Sawyer (roll call).
• Police watchdog analyst, $60,000, 26-1662: 11-1. No: Flynn (roll call).
• Public defender pay equity audit, $60,000, 26-1657: 9-3. No: Flynn, Sawyer, Council President Diana Romero Campbell (roll call).
• Nest56 supportive services, $300,000, 26-1663: 7-5. No: Flynn, Amanda Sandoval, Sawyer, Jamie Torres, Romero Campbell (roll call).
• Youth violence prevention data, $200,000, 26-1671: 7-5. No: Flor Alvidrez, Flynn, Sandoval, Sawyer, Romero Campbell (roll call).

Failed (7)

• Basic income study, one year, $240,000, 26-1665: 6-6. Yes: Stacie Gilmore, Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Chris Hinds, Paul Kashmann, Shontel Lewis, Darrell Watson (roll call).
• Fair housing center, $100,000, 26-1664: 5-7. Yes: Alvidrez, Gilmore, Hinds, Kashmann, Watson (roll call).
• Crime lab staff, $492,680, 26-1668: 5-7. Yes: Alvidrez, Gilmore, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Kashmann, Lewis (roll call).
• Jail case managers, $258,975, 26-1669: 5-7. Yes: Gilmore, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Hinds, Kashmann, Lewis (roll call).
• Street safety programs, $400,000, 26-1658: 4-8 (roll call).
• Denver Day Works, two years, $530,000, 26-1659: 4-8 (roll call).
• STAR crisis response, $500,000, 26-1661: 4-8 (roll call).

On the three 4-8 votes, the yes votes came from the same four members: Gilmore, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Kashmann and Lewis.

No vote recorded (4). Legistar shows no action on the three-year Day Works version, 26-1660; the three-year basic income study, 26-1666; the original $5.5 million rental aid amendment, 26-1667, which the revised 26-1673 replaced; and $400,000 in rental aid for DPS families, 26-1670. The records do not say why they weren't offered.

A correction to the early reporting

The Denver Gazette's Monday-night report, which our story relied on yesterday, did not list Watson's Nest56 amendment among those approved. The official roll call shows it passed 7-5. The Gazette's list of amendments that did not pass matches the records.

What the votes show

Counting yes votes across all 12 roll calls:

• 12 of 12: Gilmore, Kashmann
• 11: Gonzales-Gutierrez, Lewis
• 8: Hinds
• 7: Watson
• 6: Alvidrez
• 4: Torres
• 3: Sandoval
• 2: Romero Campbell
• 1: Sawyer
• 0: Flynn

Six members voted for all five amendments that passed: Gilmore, Kashmann, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Lewis, Hinds and Watson. Flynn voted against all five.

The tie. The one-year basic income study is the only amendment decided by the vacancy. A 6-6 tie fails. Last year a bigger version, $2 million moved from police recruits, failed 5-8, as our earlier story detailed. Hinds and Watson voted no last year and yes this year (2025 roll call).

These are votes, not explanations. Video of Monday's meeting had not been transcribed on our meeting page when this was published, so we can't yet link members' remarks.

What's next

• By noon Thursday, Nov. 6: Johnston accepts or vetoes each of the five amendments that passed. Our companion story looks at which ones have override-sized margins.
• Monday, Nov. 9: Overrides, which take nine votes, and the vote to adopt the budget, 26-1547.