By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
A set of salary increases for top Denver officials is drawing criticism, as the city faces continued financial strain and modest pay growth for most employees. The raises are included in the 2025 budget—totaling $1.76 billion—which the Denver City Council approved on November 12, 2024.
On May 6, the City Council’s Finance & Governance Committee approved nearly $500,000 in pay increases for 12 charter-appointed department heads.
These changes are expected to add over $216,000 to general fund expenditures this year, with individual increases ranging from 4% up to an eye-catching 43%. The new salaries are scheduled to take effect on July 1.
The move has sparked frustration among some observers, who point to smaller raises granted in recent years to employees in public safety and other city jobs.
One post that gained traction on Twitter/X came from the account Recovering Woke, which shared an image of the salary ordinance and noted, “Many higher ups in Denver gov are getting massive raises (20–30%) while the city is opposing giving firefighters a 1.5% raise.”
While the new raises apply only to a small group of high-level managers, critics argue the timing is questionable given the city’s current financial pressures.
Among the largest increases is for the Manager of Finance, whose salary will rise from about $185,000 to more than $266,000—a jump of nearly $81,000. The head of Human Services will receive a 31.9% increase, moving the position’s pay to just under $232,000.
Similar raises are going to managers of General Services, Transportation & Infrastructure, and the Safety Department, which oversees police and fire.
A separate ordinance passed the same day allocates $7.2 million to the Mayor’s Office, which may help cover these personnel costs. However, city officials haven’t provided details on how the added expenses will be balanced, saying some of the funding may come from reductions in other departments.
This isn’t the first time salaries for Denver’s executive leadership have received attention. Back in April 2022, the Council approved raises totaling just over $309,000 for 11 top appointees—the first major compensation overhaul for these positions since 2016.
That decision followed a study comparing Denver’s pay structure to other large U.S. cities.
During that 2022 round of adjustments, the director of Denver International Airport saw the largest increase, with their salary jumping from $266,000 to nearly $347,000. The city’s public health director received a 26% raise.
Other departments, including Planning, Finance, and Parks & Recreation, also saw double-digit increases.
By comparison, rank-and-file employees have seen much smaller raises. In 2022, police officers received a 2.77% pay bump after a long-delayed agreement was finalized.
Firefighters and other city workers faced budget constraints and mostly received standard cost-of-living adjustments, if any.
For 2025, the city is budgeting an average of 4% for merit-based raises of about 13,000 employees. Actual increases will vary by job performance and can range from nothing up to 6%.
That comes amid a tough financial backdrop. Last year, Denver reported a $108 million general fund deficit—much of it driven by emergency spending on housing and migrant services, according to Denverite.
The city’s reserves are also shrinking. By the end of 2025, the city projects its general fund balance will fall to 11.5%, down from 13.5% the year before and the lowest level since the early days of the pandemic.
Still, the 2025 budget reflects some of the administration’s core priorities. It sets aside $60 million for housing programs and another $57.5 million to address homelessness. It also includes funding to bring on 168 new police recruits, part of the city’s ongoing efforts to bolster public safety.
Further details on budget allocations and meeting proceedings are available at Denvergov.org, where full council records and financial reports are publicly posted.