Mayor Mike Johnston Submits $1.68B Budget Expanding Denver Health Support and STAR Mobile Crisis Teams

Mayor Mike Johnston Presents $1.68 Billion 2027 General Fund Budget

DENVER, Colorado — Navigating tight fiscal conditions in late October 2026, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston officially transmitted his proposed $1.684 billion 2027 General Fund budget to the Denver City Council. Designed to sustain core municipal services while managing modest 1.1% projected revenue growth, the spending plan maintains strict fiscal discipline while honoring collective bargaining agreements with frontline civil servants and funding critical civic lifelines across the City and County of Denver.

Mayor Johnston highlighted that prudent budgeting allows the city to preserve vital community social services without depleting emergency municipal reserve balances.

Targeted Investments for Denver Health and 911 Emergency Communications

Recognizing the vital regional role of safety-net medical care, Mayor Johnston allocated an expanded $12 million operating contribution directly to Denver Health to support its Level 1 trauma center and neighborhood community clinics. The budget also directs $5.8 million toward modernizing Denver 911 and 311 emergency dispatch communications, adding dozens of new telecommunicators to cut call-hold times and ensure rapid multi-agency routing for medical and police emergencies.

Hospital and emergency directors praised the capital infusion, noting that reinforced dispatch and clinical support guarantees immediate emergency treatment for vulnerable Denver patients.

Expanding STAR Civilian Crisis Teams and Affordable Housing Preservation

The municipal budget proposal provides new programmatic funding to expand the widely acclaimed Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program, deploying civilian vans staffed by mental health professionals to handle non-violent behavioral calls citywide 24 hours a day. Council members welcomed the STAR expansion and signaled plans during upcoming budget hearings to review additional rental assistance subsidies and eviction defense resources protecting vulnerable families across southwest and northeast Denver.