DENVER — This week, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced 169 city employees were laid off and 666 vacant positions were eliminated while the city struggles with a budget deficit.
The city of Denver provided a list of the number of vacant positions eliminated from various departments throughout the city, but didn't specify the positions.
Through the Colorado Open Records Act, Denver7 obtained the full list of vacant positions eliminated by the city.
Denver's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, or DOTI, saw the largest number of vacant positions eliminated, with 108.
Among the jobs cut are equipment operators, fleet part specialists, and even utility workers. DOTI provided the following statement to Denver.
We have worked hard to ensure our residents don't feel the impacts of layoffs in DOTI. Internally, we are organizing ourselves to prioritize core services to minimize effects on our customers. We are continuing to work through our budget to find cost savings that will not impact direct public services. The Mayor will deliver the budget on Sept. 15, and we will have more to share then.
The Denver Public Library system eliminated 99 of its vacant jobs, including more than a dozen librarian positions.
Denver7 reached out to the Denver Public Library for comment on the cuts. Below is the statement provided.
Denver Public Library (DPL) is not reaching its budget reduction target via layoffs, but rather through position management of the equivalent of 99 full time employees (FTE). Of the 99 FTE, 45 FTE were existing vacancies that were abolished as part of the budget reduction. To meet our 2026 budget reduction number we will also be freezing 54 FTE from planned upcoming branch renovations that are part of the 2017 Elevate Denver Bond and the 2022 RISE Bond.
The 45 FTE that were already abolished do not impact the current level of service the library is providing today.
Additional savings will come from taking locations temporarily offline due to planned upcoming bond renovations. Staff from these locations will be redeployed throughout the system to continue serving our customers throughout the City.
We are continuing to work through our budget to find cost savings that will minimize impact to direct public services.
At the Denver Sheriff's Department, 61 vacant positions were eliminated as part of the cuts. Some of the positions cut include unlicensed therapists and security specialists.
We worked closely with Mayor Johnston and the Budget and Management Office to ensure our proposed reductions did not impact safety or security. We are continuing to work through our budget to find cost savings that will not impact direct public services. The Mayor will deliver the budget on Sept. 15, and we will have more to share then.
At Denver's Department of Parks & Recreation, more than 50 open positions were eliminated. A spokesperson for the department provided the following statement.
Over the past year, DPR has maintained multiple vacant positions, resulting in gradual adjustments to staffing and service levels, which will now serve as the baseline moving forward. We are continuing to work through our budget to find cost savings that will have minimal impacts to direct public services. The Mayor will deliver the budget on Sept. 15, and we will have more to share then.
Local Union 158 President Mike Wallins told Denver7 he's concerned about what the elimination of vacant positions can do to current employees.
"We were already short-handed, and now we're laying employees off, so it, you know, it's just the help that you were hoping would come is not coming," Wallins said.
However, in a roundtable with reporters this week, Mayor Johnston said the position cut had been frozen for months and emphasized the goal was to keep impacts at a minimum.
"The first was to protect core city services, to make sure we're gonna keep picking up trash, keeping parks and rec centers open, officers on the street," he said.
A spokesperson for Denver's Department of Finance told Denver7 the list is still subject to change until the final 2026 budget is approved in November.
