After several months of debates and edits, Mayor Michael Hancock’s $1.49 billion city budget for 2022 was granted final approval by the Denver City Council Monday.

The budget amounts to $1.49 billion split among more than a dozen departments, with the most significant delegations being nearly $568 million for public safety, $140 million for transportation and infrastructure, $117 million for independent agencies and $101 million for the finance department.

The council passed the budget plan without comment Monday in an 11-1 vote, with Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca voting no and Councilman Chris Herndon absent.

“Denver City Council’s approval of the 2022 city budget comes after much partnership and work with the administration,” Council President Stacie Gilmore said. “The 2022 final budget will deliver essential supports and services as well as opportunities for Denverites during this time of recovery in our city.”

Lesser department budgets include $62.16 million for public health and environment, $34.08 million for housing stability, $82.83 million for parks and recreation and $54.66 million for cultural facilities.

Denver City Council votes down all amendments to proposed 2022 city budget

The $1.49 billion budget proposal is a 12.6% increase from the 2021 budget and a 3.8% increase from 2019 spending. The budget will decrease the city’s 2022 fund balance to 14.1%, slightly below the city’s recommended 15% reserve, city officials said. In 2020, the balance was 12.4%.

“This budget directly reflects collaboration between the mayor’s office and City Council,” Councilwoman Jamie Torres said. “We have a responsive and responsible 2022 budget that we can all be proud of.”

Despite approval from council, the budget received significant criticism from community members during a public hearing last month. Most of the community members spoke against the $2.76 million in approved additions, saying not enough of the $22.21 million in projects proposals were considered.

Last Monday, the council voted down all 14 proposed amendments to the budget made by CdeBaca, totaling $19.15 million for various projects and city departments. Some council members suggested the amendments weren’t fleshed out or should be funded through other means.

“These totals are inconsequential in a $1.5 billion budget. These totals don’t even equal a percentage point of our entire budget,” CdeBaca said last week. “None of these are new proposals. They’ve been beat to death in recommendations from the community. … Every year we say the same thing to the public and then vote against their interests.”

Denver City Council OKs 5-year homeless plan, affordable housing complex

The council and Hancock approved only $2.76 million in additions to the original budget proposal. Those additions are as follows:

• $1.5 million to expand Denver’s Safe Routes to Schools program.
• $500,000 split over two years to hire fellows for the immigrant legal defense program.
• $270,000 to provide trauma response services for non-safety city employees.
• $189,000 to hire a senior attorney for housing policy, real estate and construction.
• $150,000 to fund a railroad safety analysis for railroad hazard mitigation.
• $150,000 to make the Denver Public Library’s digital navigators full-year positions.
• $132,038 to hire an assistant city attorney associate for the City Council.
• $50,000 to fund technology access, food insecurity and yard clean-ups from the Office on Aging.
• $35,000 to buy the Denver Municipal Band a stage and fund free, outdoor concerts.
• $35,000 to study the potential establishment of an Office of Community Engagement.

“As our recovery from the public health and economic crisis caused by the global pandemic moves forward, these investments will not only restore services that were scaled back due to COVID, they will help our residents economically, support our neighborhoods and advance an economy that works for everyone,” Hancock said Monday.