Government of Denver
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The Government of Denver makes up the public sector of the City and County of Denver, Colorado.
Organization
Denver is a consolidated city-county with an elected
Mayor
Denver has a strong mayor and a weak city council government. The mayor can approve or veto any ordinances or resolutions approved by the council,[1] make sure all contracts with the city are kept and performed, sign all bonds and contracts, is responsible for the city budget, and can appoint people to various city departments, organizations, and commissions. The current mayor is Mike Johnston.
City Council
The thirteen-member Denver City Council is responsible for passing and changing all laws, resolutions, and ordinances, usually after a public hearing. Eleven members are elected from constituent districts and two from at-large districts. The Council can override the Mayor's veto with a nine out of thirteen member vote,[1] and the city budget must be approved and can be changed by a simple majority vote of the council. They can also call for misconduct investigations of Denver's departmental officials.
District Attorney
The
Auditor
The Auditor checks all expenditures and may refuse to allow specific ones, usually based on financial reasons.[2]
Clerk and Recorder
The Clerk and Recorder functions as the city and county clerk, county recorder, and county public trustee, and manages elections and voter registration including campaign finance requirements.
Department of Safety
The Denver Department of Safety oversees three branches: Denver Police Department, Denver Fire Department, and the Denver Sheriff Department. The current director of public safety is Armando Saldate, who joined the city in 2014 with the Denver Sheriff's Department.
Police Department
As of 2009, the Denver Police Department had 1500 police officers.[5] The department is headed by Police Chief Ron Thomas, who has served as acting chief of the city's police department since August 2022.[6]
The Police Department began in December 1859, with the election of the first city marshal. The force gained its first African-American police officer in 1880, and its first female police "matron" in 1888.[5]
Fire Department
The city of Denver is protected 24/7, 365 by the paid, full-time firefighters of the city of Denver Fire Department (DFD). The Denver Fire Department currently is organized into 6 Divisions of Operations, each under the Command of a Division Chief: Operations Division; Fire Prevention and Investigation Division; Technical Services Division; Administrative Division; Safety and Training Division; Airport Division.[7]
The DFD currently operates out of 34 Fire Stations (including 4 Airport Stations) in 8 Districts, each under the command of an Assistant Chief, located throughout the city. The Denver Fire Department operates a fire apparatus fleet of 28 Engines, 14 Trucks, 1 Heavy Rescue, 1 Hammer Team (Technical Rescue) Unit, 1 Haz-Mat. Unit, 1 Collapse Unit, 1 Water Rescue Unit, and numerous special, support, and reserve units. The current Chief of Department is Eric Tade.[7]
Department of Transportation & Infrastructure
The Denver Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI), formerly the Department of Public Works (DPW), manages road maintenance and repair, parking enforcement, trash collection services, and design and construction management of streets, bridges, and public buildings.
Department of Aviation
The Department of Aviation manages the Denver International Airport.
County Court
The Denver County Court is an integrated
Denver courts are located both in the City and County Building, and in the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse.[10]
Denver Water
Denver Water is the public utility that provides water to Denver. It is supervised by the five-member Board of Water Commissioners, whose members are appointed by the mayor of Denver to six-year terms. The Board in turn designates a manager who is in charge of day-to-day operations.
Assessor
The County Assessor is responsible for valuing all property in the county except for exempt property and state assessed properties.[11] Taxpayers may appeal the assigned value to the Assessor and the County Board of Equalization (valuation appeal and abatement).[11][12]
Board of Equalization
The Denver Board of Equalization performs the functions of equalization, reduction, abatement, and rebate of general taxes.[12] Of the functions, abatement is usually the responsibility of the Board of County Commissioners.[11][13] It is composed of the Manager of General Services, Manager of Public Works, Clerk and Recorder, Chief Financial Officer, and President of the City Council.[12] The Colorado Board of Assessment Appeals (BAA) hears appeals filed by real and personal property owners regarding the valuation placed on their property.[11]
Housing Authority
In 1935-1937 the state authorized local housing authorities.[14][15] The Denver Housing Authority was created by the Council in 1938 and its first commissioners were appointed by the Mayor on 2 September 1938.
Law
Pursuant to the
The City and County of Denver levies an Occupational Privilege Tax (OPT or Head Tax) on employers and employees.
- If any employee performs work in the city limits and is paid over $500 for that work in a single month, the employee and employer are both liable for the OPT regardless of where the main business office is located or headquartered.
- The employer is liable for $4 per employee per month and the employee is liable for $5.75 per month.
- It is the employer's responsibility to withhold, remit, and file the OPT returns. If an employer does not comply, the employer can be held liable for both portions of the OPT as well as penalties and interest.
Politics
While Denver elections are non-partisan, Democrats have long held a virtual monopoly on Denver politics with all citywide elected officials having Democratic Party affiliation. The office of Denver's Mayor has been occupied by a Democrat since the municipal general election of 1963.
Former Denver mayor John Hickenlooper was a member of the
In federal elections, Denverites also tend to vote for Democratic candidates. Denver is represented at the federal level by congresswoman Diana DeGette, a Democrat representing Colorado's 1st congressional district, which includes all of Denver and parts of Arapahoe County.
History
Denver was founded in 1858 and incorporated in 1861. The city was chosen as the permanent state capital of Colorado by a special election in 1881.
The historic Denver City and County Building was built to house city and county administration before 1920.[clarification needed]
In hosting the 1908 Democratic National Convention, Denver gained a spotlight in what was at the time an east coast-dominated national politics. Industrialists now moving west with innovation and big business were witness to Denver's political value, and more importantly, venue. Conquering the west is considered to be no easy challenge politically, and still an important asset. In the later part of the 20th century, winning the west was seen as crucial to a win abroad, making Denver the "center stage" in the political arena.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Denver was one of the epicenters of the
Denver hosted the
On October 31, 2011 it was announced that
Other governments
The Denver Public Schools (DPS) district is the public school system in Denver. DPS is governed by the elected seven-member Denver Board of Education, with five elected by voters within five districts and two elected at-large. The Board in turn appoints the Superintendent.
The
The Denver Health and Hospital Authority (DHHA), which manages the
List of notable mayors
- Charles A. Cook (Nonpartisan), 1861–63
- John Long Routt (Republican), 1883–85
- Robert W. Speer (Democrat), 1904–12, 1916–18
- Benjamin F. Stapleton (Democrat), 1923–31, 1935–47
- Federico Peña (Democrat), 1983–91
- Wellington Webb (Democrat), 1991–2003
- John Hickenlooper (Democrat), 2003-2011
See also
References
- ^ a b "Denver City Council - About". Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ [1] Archived December 24, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d "Clerk and Recorder - About Us - Organization". Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- Dicta. 28: 437. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ^ a b Denver Police Department, 2009 Annual Report Archived 2015-09-11 at the Wayback Machine, PDF file.
- ^ Alvarez, Alayna (14 November 2023). "Denver Mayor Mike Johnston retains city's public safety director and police chief". Axios Denver. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Denver Fire Department". Denver.org. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ^ Denver Charter § 4.1.4
- ^ "Denver County Court Judicial Nomination Commission". Government of Denver. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
- State of Colorado, accessed 13 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Colorado Department of Local Affairs - Board of Assessment Appeals". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ a b c "Equalization, Board of County Commissioners". Archived from the original on 20 July 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-8080-1640-3.
- . Chapter 132, enacted 19 April 1935.
- . Chapter 172, enacted 30 April 1937.
- ^ "Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members". Archived from the original on November 17, 2007. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
- ^ "Chicanomoratorium.org". Chicanomoratorium.org. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
- ^ Libertarian National Convention#1972
- ^ "Remembering Denver's historic summit". The Denver Post. 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
- ^ "University of Denver to host first presidential debate in October". The Denver Post. 2011-10-31. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
- Session Laws of Colorado 1994, chapter 126, approved April 19, 1994. Codified at Colorado Revised Statutes(C.R.S.) §§ 25-29-101 et seq.
- ^ "Denver Health: 150 Years of Level One Care for All" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-27. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
- ^ C.R.S. § 25-29-103
- Cronin, Thomas E.; Loevy, Robert D. (1993). Colorado Politics and Government: Governing the Centennial State. Politics and Governments of the American States. LCCN 93-6587.