DENVER — As Denver residents prepare to vote in just four days, they are weighing in on a bond package that could shape the city’s infrastructure and health services for years to come.
The Vibrant Denver bond package is a $950 million proposal that would fund various infrastructure projects, including improvements to roads, parks, city facilities and shelters. It is broken down into five ballot issues — 2A through 2E — which are connected to different projects.
Ballot Issue 2C would use $30 million to create a new Denver Health facility and improve the Denver Children’s Advocacy Center.
- Read the full wording of Ballot Issue 2C below
Denver Health CEO Donna Lynne said the passage of 2C will help better serve patients with a new building that can accommodate more patients. The current building is over 40 years old.
“It’s old and it’s out of capacity," Lynne told Denver7. "Given just that Sun Valley neighborhood that is growing, we thought it was important to not only rebuild the building but to expand it."
According to Lynne, the project would increase capacity by about 50%, allowing the health provider to introduce new services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and expanded dental care.
“We serve about 25,000 patients (per year) for multiple visits, and they’re coming in for routine medical care, immunizations, dental care, and the like," Lynne said.
Currently, many residents must travel to Denver Health's main campus at Eighth and Bannock for care, something Lynne sees as a barrier.
“Travel can be a barrier to getting all those services,” she said.
The new facility aims to bring comprehensive health services into neighborhoods and improve accessibility and community health outcomes.
Ballot Issue 2C would also allocate $10 million toward Denver’s Children’s Advocacy Center, which provides medical care, mental health support, and legal advocacy for abused children. Will Braunstein, executive director of the center, issued a statement in support, saying in part, “An expanded Denver Children’s Advocacy Center will bring medical care, mental health services, and advocacy together in one place. It will be a safe, healing environment where children can begin to recover and seek justice.”
Read our coverage about the other Vibrant Denver ballot issues below:
- Colorado voter guide: The local and state measures you'll see on the 2025 November ballot
- Ballot Issue 2B
- Ballot Issue 2D
- Ballot Issue 2E
Not everyone is convinced that additional debt is the right path. Jason Bailey, founder of “Citizens for No New Debt,” has voiced opposition to the bond package, warning that government borrowing could be counterproductive.
“Government debt is counterproductive,” Bailey told Denver7. “When we do not use debt, this will give us more money to spend on Denver Health. This will give us more money for the infrastructure around this city."
Bailey criticized increasing city debt, comparing it to borrowing practices he describes as inefficient.
“I call it rinse and repeat. Borrow a billion, pay back 2 billion,” he said, emphasizing his belief that high-interest debt ultimately strains city finances. He argued that avoiding bonds could leave more funds for essential services.
City officials and bond proponents contend that the measures will not raise taxes and that Denver’s debt remains within limits already approved by voters. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and the Vibrant Denver campaign maintain that bonds are a responsible way to invest in the city’s future.
If one ballot issue fails to win over voters, the others can still pass, allowing voters to decide which kinds of projects they want to approve, our partners at The Denver Post report. The Vibrant Denver package, in total, proposes to take out nearly $1 billion in debt to pay for approximately 60 projects across the city.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
