Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, bending to pressure from City Council members, on Wednesday restored about $910,000 in cuts from the city’s library system in the proposed 2010 budget.
The additional library funding will allow the Byers branch, 675 Santa Fe Drive, to remain open for another year. Hickenlooper originally had said that library drew low attendance and that its patrons could go to nearby branches.
The mayor also said he will reverse other cuts in his original budget by scaling back general-fund spending on homeless programs. He now plans to spend $1.25 million on the homeless next year, down from the $2.25 million originally proposed.
Hickenlooper will look to federal community-development block grants and private donors to help pay for programs designed to reduce homelessness in Denver.
“In the end, what we’ve been trying to find is that place where the whole city comes together and is willing to link elbows and get through this,” Hickenlooper said during a news conference.
He also plans to restore four hours on Sunday to the Central Library downtown and add eight hours a week at the Schlessman, Bear Valley, Montbello, Woodbury and University Hills branches.
The mayor’s original 2010 budget proposal targeted the library system for cuts in hours, and that created concern among council members.
Councilwoman Judy Montero said she is pleased Denver will continue operating for at least another year the Byers library and the La Alma Recreation Center, 325 W. 11th Ave., both of which are in her district. She said she will organize the surrounding neighborhood to make sure La Alma and Byers are protected in the next budget cycle too.
But Councilman Charlie Brown said he fears the city lost an opportunity to be more efficient.
“I’ve seen plenty of evidence that we have the compassion to care but not enough demonstrating that we have the toughness to govern,” Brown said.
The city’s general fund faced a $160 million deficit from July of this year through 2010. The library cuts were part of a number of budget-slimming proposals the mayor offered, including deferring raises for safety workers and furloughs for other city employees.
The mayor said he would agree to spend $260,000 on a pilot program that would allow the city to transition operation of the La Alma Recreation Center to a nonprofit in such a way that the community is consulted. If that transition takes longer than expected, Hickenlooper pledged he would find $75,000 in savings in the budget to cover the extra costs.
The mayor also will use about $350,000 in unobligated money in a business-incentive fund to help restore cuts. The business-incentive fund still will have about $250,000 available to help businesses relocate to Denver.
In addition, the mayor will shift $40,000 in funds that had been set aside for collective-bargaining costs. That shift can occur because the mayor and safety unions have extended contracts an extra year into 2012.
The mayor will deliver his final budget draft — about $855 million in general-fund spending — to the City Council on Monday.
The council can amend the mayor’s budget if seven of its 13 members agree to do so. The mayor can veto any changes, but the council can override a veto if nine members agree.
Christopher N. Osher: 303-954-1747 or cosher@denverpost.com
