Denver City Council voted on Monday to make nearly a dozen changes to the mayor’s budget as city leaders debate which programs and services should keep funding in next year’s tight budget.
One of the most intense votes centered on whether or not to pull $9 million from the Denver Police Department’s budget to fund a new family homeless shelter. Council members ultimately rejected the budget change after hearing directly from DPD Chief Ron Thomas about potential impacts to department staffing.
The budget amendment, introduced by Councilwoman Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, would have taken $4 million from the police department’s services and supplies budget and $5 million from the department’s police recruit funds to go to the city’s Department of Housing Stability. Denver7 reported on the demands from housing advocates to open another family shelter, as nearly 250 families sit on the wait list to get into city shelters…