Denver council committee advances civil-service charter changes toward November vote
The proposed changes would update Denver’s civil-service and public-safety rules and move operational details into ordinance ahead of a planned Aug. 3 council vote on referring the charter question to voters.
Denver City Council’s Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee advanced a proposed charter amendment and companion ordinance Tuesday, setting up a planned Aug. 3 council vote on whether to refer the charter question to voters in November.
The committee approved Council Bills 26-1048 and 26-1055 for filing in a block vote, with six members voting yes and Councilmember Stacie Gilmore absent, according to the committee minutes.
The amendment would revise Charter Sections 9.3 and 9.4, which cover the Civil Service Commission and classified service, the committee presentation says. Changes described at the meeting include:
- removing the remaining citizenship requirement for Civil Service Commission members;
- moving the public-safety cadet program to another charter section;
- extending some disciplinary-review timelines;
- allowing police and firefighter probationary periods to be extended after approved military or medical leave, rather than requiring employees to restart the period; and
- removing charter caps on police and fire command staff.
Council members said the changes followed a nearly yearlong review involving the Office of Social Equity and Innovation, the Civil Service Commission, the Office of the Independent Monitor, police and fire chiefs, and public-safety unions. Sponsors described the package as an effort to update detailed charter language and align it with current practice. The record says police and fire leadership requested removal of the command-staff caps; budget and full-time-equivalent limits would remain controls on staffing.
Bill 26-1055 would conform the municipal code if the charter amendment passes, according to Denver’s bill description. The package would move operational provisions from the charter into ordinance, allowing future changes through council legislation rather than another citywide vote. Sponsors said the provisions moved into ordinance would not be substantively changed in this package.
The committee record reflects support letters from the Civil Service Commission and the police and fire chiefs, as described by council sponsors. It does not include direct statements from those stakeholders or the unions in the available meeting record, and no public commenters spoke at the meeting.
The council’s public-input notice describes the measures as a proposed charter amendment for the Nov. 3, 2026, special municipal election and a companion ordinance. The notice lists the July 21 committee discussion and public input. Sponsors planned first reading July 27 and final reading and a ballot-referral vote Aug. 3. As of July 22, the available record establishes committee advancement and a planned timetable—not final council approval, ballot certification or voter approval.