Denver's transportation chief is leaving. Two Council bills aimed at her department just cleared committee

Amy Ford, who has run Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure since December 2023, is stepping down, Mayor Mike Johnston announced Monday, Nov. 2. Her last day is Dec. 4, and the department's chief operating officer, Cindy Patton, will serve as interim executive director, the Denver Gazette reported. The city will name a permanent director later.

Why it matters: the department, known as DOTI, fills potholes, plows streets, picks up trash and recycling, and runs the city's traffic safety program. It also manages much of the city's construction. Several of this fall's biggest Council fights run through it.

Ford said she is leaving for a new role outside the city, CBS Colorado reported. Johnston said Ford had been "a leader on slowing speeds at dangerous corridors," according to the Gazette. Denverite also reported the departure.

The criticism

The Gazette tied the departure to Council criticism of the trash program, which it reported collects about $33 million in service charges but costs about $42.9 million to run, not counting fleet costs. The department is slated for a $6 million General Fund subsidy for the program next year, and Ford has said a rate study and likely price increase will be needed. Council member Amanda Sandoval called a policy requiring solid waste workers to work certain holidays "unacceptable," the Gazette reported. Council member Amanda Sawyer has pointed to a $6 million deficit tied to the program, CBS reported. Our story on the trash study has the Council's 2022 vote on the program.

CBS listed accomplishments under Ford including the Colfax bus rapid transit line, the High Line Canal Trail underpass at Yale and Holly, and work on 16th Street and speed cameras.

What our records add: the department's business before the Council

A push to restructure. In its October budget letter, the Council asked the mayor to reconsider DOTI's structure. Johnston wrote that the Council could "partner with the administration" on any restructuring, Denverite reported. No restructuring ordinance has been filed, our records show (earlier story).

Two bills cleared committee Wednesday, both 6-0 at the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (meeting):

• The Transportation and Mobility fund, 26-1654, from Shontel Lewis and Flor Alvidrez, would restrict how DOTI spends parking meter money set aside for safety projects, starting July 2028 (our story). Johnston had declined to move $8.9 million from that fund in the 2027 budget until the Council finished reworking it, the Gazette reported.
• Best-value contracting, 26-1540, from Alvidrez and Chris Hinds, would change how the city picks construction contractors, much of it DOTI work (our story).

The interim director is a familiar face at committee. Patton answered a member's question about microtransit accessibility at Wednesday's meeting (video). At a Sept. 22 budget hearing, she told members that the department's General Fund budget was $114.9 million and that 73% of it is personnel (video).

Speed cameras. The ordinance expanding the city's speed cameras, 26-1435, which rewrites the city's rules to line up with a new state law, returns to the Council Monday, Nov. 9 (our story).

What's next

• Nov. 9: Speed camera ordinance and the 2027 budget, which sets DOTI's spending, 26-1547.
• Nov. 16: Scheduled first reading of the best-value contracting bill.
• Dec. 4: Ford's last day. Patton takes over on an interim basis.