The Denver City Council will postpone a mountain retreat planned for next week after drawing scrutiny for its nearly $27,000 cost in the wake of large-scale layoffs of city workers.
Council President Amanda Sandoval announced the decision in a statement Wednesday afternoon but didn’t specify whether dollars already spent would be transferred to a future date or if the costs might increase.
“Our full attention must now be on supporting one another and helping our city move forward from this challenging period with the best interests of our constituents at heart,” she wrote.
The decision came after CBS News Colorado first reported the price tag for the retreat and scrutinized the optics of going on a mountain excursion just a week after 171 employees lost their jobs with the city because of budget constraints. The trip was set to cost $26,700.
Ten council members and three staff members were planning to attend the event Aug. 27-29 at Lone Rock Retreat near Bailey. Three other council members had scheduling conflicts.
The retreat site has cabins with “oxygen enrichment systems,” a lodge with “jam-session-ready instruments,” board games and “breathtaking views,” according to its website.
The event was set to cost $16,500 for the facility, meals and accommodations, plus $2,600 for transportation accessible for people with disabilities and $7,600 for a facilitator and assessment tool. The money would come from the council’s central budget, said council spokesman Robert Austin.
“It is a facilitated assessment and team-building workshop using the Insights Discovery Evaluator designed to enhance communication and collaboration, and build a stronger working relationship among members,” he said.
Austin said the contract was signed May 8. While council members were aware the city’s budget was in sore shape at the time, it would be two weeks before Mayor Mike Johnston announced the full extent.
On May 22, Johnston said the city would need to conduct layoffs to help fill an anticipated $200 million budget shortfall in 2026.
Johnston’s administration announced the number of job cuts this week, saying that between Monday and Tuesday, the city would lay off 171 people. Officials planned to release a breakdown for the various departments impacted later in the week.
The personnel cuts also included eliminating 665 vacant positions and moving 92 positions to other funding sources outside the general fund. Those measures together will save the city about $100 million in 2026, officials said.
Johnston’s office will present a budget proposal for next year, with an additional $100 million in savings, sometime before a Sept. 15 deadline.
Sandoval said the council had not yet chosen a new date for the retreat.
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