DENVER — During a budget hearing Friday morning, the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) laid out a proposed 15% decrease in its general fund budget, impacting some of the department's functions, as the city looks to shore up its multi-million dollar shortfall.
Denver7 has closely tracked efforts to fix the $200 million budget shortfall. The city laid off 169 city workers, eliminated more than 600 open positions, and started requiring furlough days to help balance the budget. DOTI said it cut 31 employees and eliminated more than 100 vacancies, which was the largest number of layoffs for any city department.
Last month, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston laid out his 2026 budget proposal, which included millions in budget cuts.
Denver
Denver mayor unveils 2026 budget proposal amid $200 million shortfall
This week, city departments are presenting their 2026 budget proposals to the Denver City Council, which must approve the final budget.
Amy Ford, executive director of DOTI, said while funds will decrease next year, the department is promising to keep some services to residents the same.
"We made sure that we held to our core commitment and level of services on things like snow plowing, trash pickup, ensuring that we keep projects that we've got moving, moving," Ford said.
According to DOTI's 2026 budget presentation, some upcoming projects will move to a backlog list; inspector visits to roadway projects on Saturdays, evenings, and in emergencies will be limited; and residents will see longer response times for some 311 calls. 311 is the city's hotline and online portal where residents can submit non-emergency issues, including public right-of-way violations, abandoned vehicles, illegal parking, missed trash pickup, and major sidewalk damage.
- View the full presentation below:
During Friday's meeting, Denver City Councilmember Amanda Sawyer expressed her concerns about cuts to DOTI's right-of-way enforcement.
"I know that there are longer response times for 311, and a number of different things, right? I will tell you, I filled out two cases to get new trash cans because mine are cracked in half on August 30, and I've never heard anything from DOTI," said Sawyer. "How are we going to be able to address the needs of our residents and the things that they see and care about if we've got these longer wait times, and we've got these, you know, less staff and kind of less ability to be responsive to it?"
Ford said the department did not lay off any enforcement agents, but it did cut some of their job vacancies.
"The people who go out every single day, those right-of-way enforcement agents who write tickets for people, for parking, for parking violations, for violations on how we use our right of way... those are those things and programs that we're continuing to work to see how we can get efficient with how we deliver those services," said Ford.
Denver7 spoke with several residents about their concerns surrounding transportation, street maintenance, parking enforcement, and overall responsiveness to 311 requests by DOTI.
Carlo Campagna, the owner of Toro Food Concepts on East 11th Ave, said he has made multiple reports to 311 about trash, a broken street light, and encampments on public sidewalks. He said he's also concerned about the state of major roads, like Federal Boulevard, Sheridan Boulevard, and Alameda Avenue.
Ty Chelec, who has lived in Denver for about two months, said he noticed there are not many parking tickets placed on cars that stay in his neighborhood too long. He said he sees those cars get tickets only during street sweeps.
Chelec said when it comes to overall transportation and infrastructure across the city, every resident should care.
