Denver city officials will ask voters in November to allow the city to borrow more money through bonds to pay for projects like parks, recreation centers and roads, Mayor Mike Johnston said Wednesday.
The new bond package — of an undetermined amount, though past city bond issues have been in the hundreds of millions of dollars — would contribute to a fund for general city projects. Residents’ input in coming months will help shape the list of projects the bonds would benefit.
“This is an incredible moment where the people of Denver get to decide their own destiny,” Johnston said during an announcement event at the Carla Madison Recreation Center, a project that past bonds partially funded. “We are going to focus on really shovel-ready projects that can be transformational and catalytic for neighborhoods all across Denver.”
, which are repaid through property taxes, can be used for any new or existing public capital improvement projects, including roads, bridges, bikeways and government buildings. The city says the bonds won’t result in an increase in property taxes because they’ll replace earlier debt as it’s paid off.
Denver won’t announce the full amount of the bond package until the City Council finalizes a list of projects in late summer.
Johnston already has a name for it — , borrowing a term he’s used often, going back to his campaign for mayor in 2023. He said the initiative “allows us to come together to decide our priorities for our neighborhoods, our families and ourselves.”
Denver’s previous bond programs include , a 10-year, $937 million general obligation bond package approved in 2017 and , a 5-year, $260 million program approved in 2021 — both of which still have projects underway or in the queue.
Voters have been asked to approve general obligation bonds every four to 10 years. Johnston said the city was pursuing a new bond program so soon after the one approved in 2021 because that one was a COVID-era stimulus investment.
“We want to ensure our neighborhoods flourish — not just for today but for future generations,” council President Amanda Sandoval said during the event.
She said the gathering of neighborhood input will include “a lens of equity throughout this whole entire process.” City leaders will look at which communities benefitted from the last bond package and also consider underrepresented areas when evaluating project ideas, she said.
While the Elevate Denver and RISE Denver project lists haven’t been completed yet, Johnston said he didn’t want to wait too long to think ahead. The new bond program is likely to be “in line with previous bond sizes,” Johnston said.
“We think this is the right time to start looking at the next set of investments,” he said.
Denver has completed nearly 400 projects using bonds, according to the news release. Recent bond-funded endeavors — sometimes supplemented with other funding sources — include a new wing of the Denver Art Museum, an animal hospital at the Denver Zoo, a new stage roof for Red Rocks, an indoor pool and play area at Green Valley Ranch recreation center, and updated equipment at police and fire stations.
The new bond programs would “deliver investments” within six years, according to the release.
The city will post surveys at recreation centers and libraries for resident feedback, and “community-led subcommittees” will review the input before referring it to the council. The new program website, at , includes .
That process is similar to past bond initiatives, which have generally seen success winning voters’ support in part because the packages included projects spread across the city. A notable exception was in 2021, when voters approved four bond ballot measures but rejected a fifth that would have used $190 million for a new arena and building renovation at the National Western Center.
