Updated 10 a.m., Aug. 22, 2025.
With the city government rocked by hundreds of layoffs and job closures, Denver City Council won’t be heading to Park County for a mountain retreat next week.
The council will postpone its “professional development and team-building workshop” to an unknown date.
The trip to Lone Rock Retreat was set to cost $26,000 between transportation, facilitation, meals and accommodation.
The trip had been arranged prior to Mayor Mike Johnston’s announcement that a budget crunch would lead to layoffs, according to a council spokesperson.
“This week has been an especially difficult time for all who work for the City and County of Denver. One hundred seventy-one employees have been laid off, creating great disruption for them, their families, and their colleagues,” Council President Amanda Sandoval said. “Our full attention must now be on supporting one another and helping our city move forward from this challenging period with the best interests of our constituents at heart.”
The city will not lose any money on the trip. The retreat center has fully refunded the $16,500 the city already paid, and other services were canceled before they were invoiced, according to city spokesperson Robert Austin.
The city laid off 171 people and closed 665 open positions, reducing Denver’s general fund workforce by 7.6 percent. Mayor Mike Johnston says he has to close a $250 million budget gap for this year and next year. The layoffs are expected to reduce costs by about $100 million next year.
The retreat had been in planning since December, with the contract signed in May, Austin wrote.
CBS Colorado reported earlier on criticism of the trip.
Editor's note: This article was updated to note that the city will not lose money on the cancellation.
