The Denver City Council adopted Mayor John Hickenlooper’s $914 million budget Monday night, with Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz casting the only dissenting vote.
Faatz told The Rocky Mountain News she considers the budget to be "unbalanced" because it is based on the expectation department heads will find $7 million in savings during the course of the year. However, the budget contains no specific mandates on where those savings are to be reallized, or in what way. “This is the first time I have ever encountered an IOU for $7 million of cuts to be built into the budget prior to adoption,” Faatz told the RMN.
As Face The State recently reported, that $7 million is expected to come through cost savings, holding open positions or, more likely, other unspecified cuts due to lagging revenue in tough economic times.
When the time comes to make those cuts, that burden will fall on the shoulders of department heads, not Hickenlooper. With little guidance from Hizzoner on specific ways to trim up city spending, look for a healthy amount of finger-pointing in City Hall.
Amidst the fracas, Denver's "Teflon Mayor" has used his budget to appear frugal but avoid the demands of true leadership. In the end it is Denver's taxpayers who stand to lose.