Under legal pressure from local newsrooms, Denver quietly released a detailed list of laid-off city workers on Friday, ending months of official silence about who, exactly, lost their jobs last summer. The roster links names to agencies, job titles, and years of service for roughly 159 people. Until now, city leaders had only shared anonymized summaries when the cuts were rolled out in August.
According to Axios Denver, the city turned over the records after Axios, The Denver Post, and Westword, backed by a pro bono attorney, signaled they were ready to sue under the Colorado Open Records Act. The documents spell out which positions were eliminated and help illustrate how the administration expects to close a budget gap in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
What the Records Reveal
An Axios Denver review found that the August layoffs wiped out about 1,158 years of combined city experience. The Department of Transportation took one of the biggest hits, losing roughly 265 years of experience across 30 employees. Community Planning & Development lost about 128 years, and the Office of Children’s Affairs shed roughly 112 years, including a manager with 35 years on the job. Mayor Mike Johnston told Axios in November that he was “very confident about our capacity to deliver.”
Earlier Secrecy and Shifting Numbers
When the administration first rolled out the cuts last summer, it offered only anonymized counts and a limited public explanation. Coverage at the time showed the city initially planned to lay off more than 170 employees and eliminate roughly 665 vacant positions; Denver7 obtained the departmental breakdown and documented a later correction to the tally.
What It Could Mean for Projects and Services
Local reporters and analysts warn that losing so much institutional knowledge in permitting, public health, and infrastructure roles could slow approvals and strain oversight just as Denver pursues an ambitious agenda. The nearly $1 billion Vibrant Denver bond package is under consideration, according to the Washington Examiner, and Westword has outlined Johnston’s 2026 goals around housing and expanded child care programs, efforts that could be harder to pull off with fewer seasoned staffers on the payroll.
Legal and Workplace Fallout
Journalists had pressed the city to release the names under the Colorado Open Records Act. The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition notes that the law creates a presumption that government records are open to the public. Labor advocates also criticized the terms offered to departing workers, saying some were asked to sign severance agreements that limited their ability to sue, a concern flagged in local coverage when the cuts were first announced…