Denver City Council members will receive a briefing today on how the city plans to pay for the Democratic National Convention, with a breakdown of how Denver expects to spend the $50 million the federal government will provide for convention-related expenses.
Council members asked for the budget breakdown after the Denver Police Department requested that the council authorize $2 million worth of purchases for a SWAT vehicle, an interagency communication system, an amplification system and communication equipment.
The purchase request caught the attention of council members Doug Linkhart and Jeanne Faatz, who sought a fuller budget discussion. They want assurances the city will comply with Mayor John Hickenlooper’s pledge that the Aug. 25-28 convention won’t tap into the wallets of Denver taxpayers.
“I want to see the total budget,” Faatz said. “I want to be assured there will be sufficient money to cover operating expenses.”
Officials in Hickenlooper’s office agreed to provide the briefing today, but Linkhart said he expects that much of the discussion will occur behind closed doors because the administration considers some of the details privileged.
The briefing will come in conjunction with a request from Hickenlooper’s administration to authorize spending $20 million for convention-related expenses — all of which would come from federal sources.
Linkhart said that the $20 million amount will serve as a drawdown account to allow for speedy purchases and that most of it hasn’t been committed.
Each individual equipment purchase above $50,000 will need council approval, as will each contract in excess of $500,000, Linkhart said.
He said he expects that the federal government will reimburse the $1.85 million in upfront costs for liability- and workers’-compensation insurance policies to cover the outside law enforcement the city needs for the convention.
Mel Thompson, deputy manager of safety, said the actual budget for the convention is a moving target. He said he views the costs for the four-day event as having to fit within the $50 million the federal government has agreed to reimburse.
