A pair of Denver City Council members- Flor Alvidrez and Shontel Lewis- have rejected a call for members of the Denver City Council to voluntarily reimburse the city for 2025 furlough days, with both elected officials saying their decisions were “principled.”
CBS Colorado obtained records from the Denver City Council showing that 11 council members voluntarily reimbursed the city for 2025 furlough days, with reimbursement amounts ranging from $762.60 up to $1,969.92. Most of the council members’ reimbursements were around $1,300.
Facing a massive budget deficit, Mayor Mike Johnston announced in 2025 that all 15,000 city employees would be required to take between two and seven unpaid furlough days before the end of 2025. The number of furlough days was determined by the employee’s salary. The furloughs were part of a slew of measures taken to try to help bridge the deficit gap.
But city council members’ salaries are set by city ordinance and cannot be changed during their terms in office. Councilmembers are paid about $110,000 per year, while the council president makes about $124,000 annually. Johnston asked council members to voluntarily reimburse the city for five furlough days. Most did. Some did not…