The Denver City Council has decided to postpone a $26,000 mountain retreat as the city plans to lay off 171 employees. The postponement comes after CBS Colorado Investigator Brian Maass’s report on the timing of the retreat, as the city is facing a budget shortfall.
Ten of Denver’s 13 city council members had been planning to attend a $26,000 retreat in the foothills next week for team building and professional development.
This is the statement from Denver City Council President Amanda P. Sandoval:
“This week has been an especially difficult time for all who work for the City and County of Denver. One hundred seventy-one employees have been laid off, creating great disruption for them, their families, and their colleagues. Our full attention must now be on supporting one another and helping our city move forward from this challenging period with the best interests of our constituents at heart.
“With that in mind, and after consultation with the full Council, I have decided it is best to postpone our planned professional development and team-building workshop. It will be rescheduled for a future time and place to be determined.
“Together, we will steady our civic ship and continue the important work of governing.”
Earlier this week, Sandoval had told Maass that the council retreat had been in the works since December 2024, and the contract was signed on May 8. Two weeks later, Mayor Mike Johnston revealed the depths of the city budget problems that would necessitate city workers being laid off, others needing to take furlough days and belt-tightening across city agencies.
“I would never have done any of this had I known any of this information prior to signing that contract,” said Sandoval in an earlier interview.
At the time of the interview, Sandoval said she tried to void the contract and get the city’s money back or change the date of the retreat, but could not, so council members had planned to travel to the location near Bailey the evening of Aug. 27 and return the morning of Aug. 29 — a city furlough day.
