Denver's revenue is running 1% ahead of last year, and the city now expects $1.9 million more than it planned

Denver's Department of Finance filed its third-quarter General Fund report on Friday, and it's listed under communications on the City Council's Monday agenda (26-1767, report). Communications are filed, not voted on.

Why it matters: the General Fund pays for police, fire, parks and most city services. This is the last revenue check before the Council's final vote on the 2027 Long Bill, set for Nov. 23.

The numbers

Through Sept. 30, the report says:

• Collected so far: $1.121 billion, 1.0% more than the same period of 2025. Sales and use tax figures run through August.
• Full-year forecast: $1.666 billion, up $1.9 million from the original forecast.
• Still to come: $546 million, or 32.7% of the forecast.
• Projected year-end fund balance: $198.3 million, or 11.9% of estimated 2026 spending.

At midyear, collections were running 2.3% ahead of 2025, and the second-quarter report kept the forecast at $1.664 billion while saying it would likely be revised "slightly upward." It was, by about $2 million. That report also projected a $196.4 million year-end balance.

The second-quarter report put 2025's actual revenue at $1.663 billion. If the new forecast holds, 2026 would come in about 0.2% higher.

What moved, source by source

We compared the forecast for each of the 10 largest sources in the two reports. Sales tax went up. Most of the rest went down.

• Sales and use tax: $938.2 million, up from $928.4 million (+$9.8 million). Collections are 4.9% ahead of last year.
• Property tax: $193.3 million, down from $195.0 million. Up 3.2% year over year.
• Parking fines: $25.7 million, down from $27.6 million. Up 0.5% year over year.
• Xcel franchise fee: $30.9 million, down from $32.7 million. Up 4.8%.
• Lodgers' tax: $41.1 million, down from $42.6 million. Up 2.4%.
• Occupational privilege tax: $56.2 million, down from $57.1 million. Up 2.1%.
• Street occupancy permits: $18.0 million, down from $18.7 million. Down 5.1%.
• Investment income: $21.1 million, down from $21.6 million. Down 2.3%.
• Motor vehicle ownership tax: $31.4 million, up from $31.2 million. Down 5.3%.
• Highway users tax: $23.0 million, up from $22.8 million. The report says its 37.1% year-over-year jump is mostly timing: the state's August and September 2025 payments didn't arrive until October 2025.

The report doesn't explain why total revenue is up only 1% while sales tax, more than half of it, is up 4.9%. The second-quarter report noted that the first half of 2025 included $25 million in one-time transfers, which makes this year's comparison harder.

The report has no spending figures. It points readers to the city's expenditure dashboard at denvergov.org/transparency.

What our records add

The fund balance matches the Long Bill. The 2027 Long Bill projects $198.3 million in unassigned General Fund balance on Jan. 1, 2027, the same figure as this report's year-end projection (our story).

The 2027 budget counts on more sales tax growth. The Long Bill estimates $970.7 million in sales and use tax next year, 3.5% above the new 2026 forecast. It estimates property tax at $186.8 million, $6.5 million below this year's forecast.

The contingency reserve is almost gone. A year-end bill would spend the last $11.7 million of this year's $33.5 million contingency, most of it on lawsuits, union raises and 2027 rent aid (26-1710, our story). It's on the Nov. 17 Mayor-Council agenda (meeting).

What's next

Monday, Nov. 16, 3:30 p.m.: The report is filed at the Council meeting (meeting). Nov. 23: final vote on the Long Bill. All figures in the report are unaudited.