Johnston accepted all five Council budget amendments. No vetoes meant no override votes

Mayor Mike Johnston accepted all five amendments the Denver City Council made to his 2027 budget, he wrote in a letter dated Nov. 6, the day of his noon deadline to accept or veto them. "I am pleased to accept all five amendments," he wrote.

Why it matters: with no vetoes, there was nothing for the Council to override at Monday's Nov. 9 meeting, and every dollar the Council moved on Nov. 2 stays in the budget. The city's announcement says the Council proposed 16 amendments on Nov. 2, passed five, and voted down or withdrew the other 11.

What the mayor accepted

The five amendments and their Nov. 2 votes, from our roll-call story:

• Rental assistance, $1,724,038, passed 10-2 (26-1673).
• Police watchdog analyst, $60,000, passed 11-1 (26-1662).
• Public defender pay equity audit, $60,000, passed 9-3 (26-1657).
• Nest56 supportive services, $300,000, passed 7-5 (26-1663).
• Youth violence prevention data, $200,000, passed 7-5 (26-1671).

What the letter says

The one-page letter doesn't discuss the amendments one by one. It credits the Council's work over the fall with more money for the Denver Health and Hospital Authority, help for businesses hurt by city construction, community arts and music events, and more staff for the 911 center, the 311 call center, park rangers, inspections and the Council's legal staff. It says the temporary rent and utility assistance program, known as TRUA, will total $8.5 million in 2027.

"This 2027 budget is a great example of how government is supposed to work," Johnston wrote.

Council President Diana Romero Campbell, in the city's announcement, thanked the mayor for his "partnership and acceptance of the Council's amendments."

What our records add

The two close ones would not have survived a veto on their own numbers. An override takes nine votes. Nest56 and the youth violence data money each passed with seven. On Nest56 the no votes were Kevin Flynn, Amanda Sandoval, Amanda Sawyer, Jamie Torres and Romero Campbell; on youth violence data they were Flor Alvidrez, Flynn, Sandoval, Sawyer and Romero Campbell. Votes can change on an override, so this is arithmetic, not a forecast that did not come true.

Two years running. Johnston also accepted every amendment last year, all 10 to the 2026 budget, in a Nov. 7, 2025 letter. That letter warned that some of them drew on reserves. This year's letter has no such warning; it says the budget will "bolster reserves."

Where the money comes from. The Denver Gazette reported that the amendments are paid for from the contingency reserve, existing department budgets and other sources, and that contingency drops from 2.06% to 2.01% of General Fund spending, just above the 2% the city charter requires (Gazette). The same story said the amended budget gives Denver Health no extra money next year, while the mayor's letter lists "increased funding" for it. Neither says what it is comparing against. The 2027 Denver Health agreement, which cleared committee Nov. 4, is $48.8 million, down from $69 million (our story).

A note on our earlier story

Our deadline story said we would update it when a decision was posted. This story is that update.

What's next

Nov. 9: The Council voted on the budget itself. See our adoption story.

By Nov. 23: Final vote on the spending ordinance, the Long Bill, 26-1638, which turns the adopted budget into appropriations.