The slumping national economy prompted Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper to send a letter to city employees Thursday inviting them to help him come up with cost-saving measures that may be needed if the city’s revenues take a nose dive.
“We hope that our investments in economic opportunity, workforce development, education, infrastructure, energy efficiency and tourism will help us weather this national economic storm better than most, but we know that we are not completely immune to the national economic forces beyond our control,” the mayor said.
The mayor stated in the letter that the 2009 budget was balanced with $13 million in cuts and a promise of an additional $7 million in cuts that would be found by department managers over the coming year.
“But if more savings are required beyond this $20 million, how do all of us — as the City Team — want to generate them?” Hickenlooper asked.
He invited the city employees to share ideas and feedback with employees and e-mail suggestions or call his office.
“Your input will be critical in how we respond to possible budget fluctuations,” the mayor said.
He said in the letter that in the past, “employee feedback has been consistent about the overwhelming desire to avoid layoffs in times of economic difficulty.”
He said the city faces challenges far less severe than those faced by other cities, states and the federal government. Denver’s reserves have been strengthened in recent years, the mayor said, and the Democratic National Convention provided an economic jolt to the region.
He said he hoped the national downturn will reverse soon, sparing the city of Denver any significant decline in local revenues.
“But in the meantime, we must uphold our commitment to you to proactively consider our options and involve you in the planning process,” the mayor told the employees.
He noted that the city already is holding open 350 vacancies and thanked the employees for continuing to shoulder increased workloads.
The mayor warned that other governments have taken drastic measures recently. Phoenix faced a $200 million to $250 million budget deficit and imposed service cuts. King County in Washington, which includes Seattle, mandated 10 days of unpaid leave for employees. Santa Barbara County, Calif., is closing offices for 10 days, and New York City is considering slashing its workforce by 3,000 employees and canceling training classes for police cadets, he said.
“Clearly, nationwide declines in property, income and sales tax revenues are taking a toll on municipal budgets across the country,” the mayor stressed, while adding that he hopes any concerns locally are unfounded.
Christopher N. Osher: 303-954-1747 or cosher@denverpost.com
