Denver looks at paying half million dollars in raises

The Denver City Council is considering whether to pay nearly a half-million dollars in raises for 12 department heads appointed by Mayor Mike Johnston.

The budget for the Mayor’s Office would pay for most of the increases, which vary from $6,800 to $80,797 a year. The aviation manager’s salary is paid by the Enterprise Fund.

The council’s Finance and Governance Committee approved the increases Tuesday. The full council is expected to have its first reading of the bill May 19 and its final vote on the raises on June 2, city spokesman Robert Austin told The Center Square Friday.

He provided exact salary figures for Denver, which has more than 716,000 people, in an email. The Center Square has rounded the numbers to the nearest dollar for this story.

The raises total $492,913, keep Denver competitive as an employer and will help retain the 12 department heads, Carla Anthony, deputy executive director of human resources, told the Finance and Governance Committee. She also noted the raises are in the median of the salary ranges that her department discovered in studying other cities last fall across the U.S.

The department heads haven’t received a raise since 2022, Jeff Dolan, the mayor’s chief strategy officer and counsel, told committee members.

The City Council, which governs the city and county of Denver, is considering increases such as:

From the current salary of $185,366 a year to $266,162 a year for the finance director in what is the biggest raise at 43.6% or $80,797. In other cities across the nation, salaries for the same position vary from $173,581 to $303,147 annually, according to information Anthony presented.

From $216,061 to $268,479 a year for the city attorney. That’s a 24.3% or $52,418 raise. Nationally, a city attorney’s salary ranges from $181,640 to $352,425.

From $346,957 to $406,511 a year for the aviation manager. The raise would be 17.2% or $59,536.  Elsewhere in the U.S., salaries vary from $153,763 to $548,062 a year.

From $195,220 to $240,676 for the transportation and infrastructure manager. The increase would be 23.3% or $45,456. Nationally, cities pay between $185,751 to $313,327 a year.

From $170,523 to $207,454 a year for the parks and recreation manager. That’s a 21.7% or $36,930 raise. Across the U.S., salaries range from $151,308 to $317,657 annually.

From $188,766 to $210,972 a year for the environmental health manager. The increase would be 11.8% or $22,206. Elsewhere, U.S. cities pay $186,420 to $337,980 a year.

If approved by the council, the raises would take effect July 1.

Because the increases would be in effect for half of 2025, the Mayor’s Office (General Fund) would pay $216,689 this year, and the Enterprise Fund will cover $29,768 for the aviation manager, Anthony said. The total amounts of $433,377 from the General Fund and $59,536 from the Enterprise Fund would be paid in 2026.

The City Council meets at 3:30 p.m. most Mondays in room 450 at the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St., Denver. To learn how to watch meetings at home, see denvergov.org.