Denver Mayoral Race: Denver’s $100 Million Budget Shortfall
The city of Denver is projected to have a 2012 budget shortfall of nearly $100 million—$99.4 million, to be exact. Mayoral candidates Michael Hancock and Chris Romer offer long lists of ideas for how to improve the Mile High City as well as some specifics about what city programs or services they’d cut in order to fill such a significant gap while also funding their promised improvements.
The following insights into how each candidate plans to address the city’s budget shortfall have been gathered from comments made at campaign events attended by Imagine A Great Election or published on-line or in printed campaign materials.
We’ve also included “Experience Potentially Related to this Issue” to provide pertinent suggestions of the skills and insights each candidate would likely bring to bear while addressing this issue while in office.
Michael Hancock
Bottom line:
Invite “all of Denver” to participate in the process; streamline based on facts and finances rather than politics
On his campaign website:
In the Hancock website “Issues” section under “Budget,” Hancock presents a plan to eliminate unnecessary programs and streamline city services that includes:
• a detailed fiscal analysis for all new ordinances and policies so the cost of new proposals is clear to the public and the City Council
• public input regarding city priorities through open meetings and interactive online surveys
• city employee input regarding how to make government more efficient
• reduced redundancies in the Department of Safety, Division of Environmental Health, youth programs and services, and Office of Economic Development
In his campaign flyer:
No specifics related to the budget shortfall listed
Issue-specific ideas or solutions presented at March 24 and April 6 events:
No mention of budget cuts
Issue-related comments:
In a November Westword profile, Hancock promoted the establishment of a fiscal sustainability commission that will allow “policy makers, select members of the public and budgetary public-finance experts to really take a look at the budget and find areas of redundancy, areas for management efficiencies that will help the city save money.” The commission was established in January.
In a Washington Park Profile article, Hancock was quoted as saying he would consider opportunities to partner with private enterprise to deliver city services but insisted he was not talking about privatization, but about “contracting with outside partners and overseeing what’s being done.”
Experience Potentially Related to this Issue:
• City Councilman 2003-Present
--President 2006-2008
--Business, Workforce, & Sustainability Committee, Co-Chair
--Bond Implementation Committee, Former Chair
--Economic Development Committee, Former Vice-Chair
--Finance Committee, Former Member
Chris Romer
Bottom line:
Fix the city budget via revenue growth as well as expense control
On his campaign website:
Under “Fiscal Responsibility,” Romer states he will:
• balance Denver’s budget
• freeze the pay of city elected officials
• require all of his cabinet appointees to accept pay freezes
• institute a top to bottom review of city government and services
• consolidate offices that have overlapping functions
• evaluate all of the city’s public-private partnerships
• explore expanding regional partnerships with nonprofit stakeholders and Jefferson County Open Space
• take a hard look at the need for the Manager of Safety office
• look at how Denver Water pays taxes
• consider integrating the services of the city’s Department of Health and the Denver Health and Hospital Authority
• expect businesses and City Hall to work together to grow retail sales in our city
• increase and sustain city sales revenues through smart targeting and incentives
• consider appropriate, focused incentives to draw more companies to Denver, especially retailers capable of significantly growing the sales tax base
• help existing Denver businesses develop plans for growing their sales
• rely heavily upon front-line city employees for recommendations to help balance the budget
• go neighborhood by neighborhood to engage the community in a discussion about city services and the current state of the budget
• leverage technology to both solicit budget-balancing ideas and to streamline City Hall
• use social media and anonymous online tip lines to hear from city employees who identify waste in city government and suggest solutions for balancing the budget
• put more city resources and information online.
In his campaign flyer:
No specifics related to the budget shortfall listed
Issue-specific ideas or solutions presented at March 24 and April 6 events:
No mention of budget cuts
Issue-related comments:
In a February letter to members of the city’s new Financial Structural Task Force, Romer suggested the following strategies to balance the city’s budget:
• eliminating the current Manager of Public Safety office and possibly replacing it or assigning its responsibilities to the police department and other public safety departments*
• pursuing efficiencies between the services of the City’s Department of Health and the Denver Health and Hospital Authority
• transitioning Denver Water to make payments in lieu of taxes (PILT) to the city in order to impact the public water utility’s efficiency without raising water rates
*According to a May 11 Denver Daily News article, Romer changed his mind on the need to remove the position of the city’s Manager of Public Safety following an endorsement by former mayoral candidate James Mejia, who reportedly influenced Romer’s decision. Romer was quoted as saying he now believes the city ought to “improve that office and keep that office.”
In a March Denver Post mayoral candidate Q&A article about the budget, Romer insisted the city of Denver would punish and lose too many of its small businesses if it were to begin taxing services. He also insisted he does not support the privatization of city amenities.
Experience Potentially Related to this Issue:
• Senator 2007-2010
• Experience as a public finance banker for JPMorgan Chase
|