HR's numbers for Denver's department-head raises: $822,346 next year, and 60% for the finance chief

On Thursday we reported that the bill setting a pay formula for Denver's 12 appointed department heads did not say how much each would get on Jan. 1 (our story). Slides the Office of Human Resources posted for Tuesday's Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee now show the numbers (presentation, 26-1762).

Why it matters: these raises would take effect without a separate Council vote on each salary. The slides put the 2027 cost at about $822,346, of which about $572,010 would come from the General Fund.

The recommended 2027 salaries

From HR's "2026 Market Survey Findings with Compression Analysis" slide:

• Manager of Aviation: $346,975 to $494,368 (+$147,393)
• Manager of Finance: $185,366 to $297,000 (+$111,634)
• Manager of Human Services: to $278,919 (+$102,943)
• Transportation and Infrastructure: $195,220 to $289,523 (+$94,303)
• City Attorney: $216,061 to $291,483 (+$75,422)
• Community Planning and Development: to $234,662 (+$50,405)
• Public Health and Environment: $188,766 to $238,543 (+$49,777)
• Excise and Licenses: $154,381 to $201,371 (+$46,990)
• Parks and Recreation: $170,523 to $217,432 (+$46,909)
• General Services: $177,332 to $218,330 (+$40,998)
• Manager of Safety: $206,481 to $244,228 (+$37,747)
• Human Rights and Community Partnerships: $170,000 to $187,825 (+$17,825)

In percentage terms, the finance manager's raise is about 60%, human services about 59%, transportation about 48%, aviation about 42% and the city attorney about 35%. The smallest is about 10.5%, for Human Rights and Community Partnerships, whose salary was set in 2025.

Two current salaries on the slide don't match the bill. The slide lists the human services manager at $175,976 and the planning director at $184,357; the bill lists $175,876 and $184,257 (bill). The slide's raise amount for planning matches the bill's figure.

Five go above the market median

The survey covered 123 public agencies; 54 responded and 49 gave actual pay data, according to the slides. The aviation manager was compared with a survey of large airports, using the last incumbent's pay.

For seven positions, the recommended salary equals the survey's market median. For five, it is higher, because of what HR calls compression: the next person down would otherwise earn about as much or more after a 2% merit raise. The finance manager's market median is $244,481, but the nearest subordinate's 2027 pay is listed at $270,000, so HR recommends $297,000. The others flagged are human services, parks, transportation and safety. For the safety manager, HR compared the closest civilian subordinate, not the police chief.

The filed bill, version 5, says the one-time adjustment will "align salaries with the market median." It does not mention compression or subordinates. We'll watch whether the bill is amended to match the slides or the salaries are set another way.

The comparison HR offers

The slides also list raises given to city workers from 2022 through 2026: 15.02% for Career Service employees, 19.75% for police, 24% for sheriff's deputies and 20% for firefighters. Career Service employees got 0% in 2026.

What our records add

The last proposal to raise these salaries drew pushback in 2025, when a committee advanced increases of 30% to 40% for some of them, CBS Colorado reported. The new bill, sponsored by Amanda Sawyer, would also give these appointees automatic adjustments every four years starting in 2031, tied to inflation or average Career Service pay, whichever is lower.

What's next

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 10:30 a.m.: Governance Committee (meeting). If it advances, HR's earlier timeline had two Council votes in early December, ahead of the Jan. 1 adjustment.