City and County of Denver

Referred Question 2JCivil Service Commission and Department of Safety (Charter amendment)

Official ballot title

Shall the Charter of the City and County of Denver be amended to modernize the Civil Service Commission and Department of Safety by removing outdated language, giving City Council the ability to add duties via code, and providing for an extension of probation when required for medical, military, or other approved leave?

Verbatim from: Denver 2026 Ballot Information Booklet (Denver Elections Division)

Summary

Updates Charter provisions on the Civil Service Commission and Department of Safety, lets City Council add duties by ordinance, allows probation to be extended for approved leave, and removes Charter caps on fire and police command assignments.

Plain-language summary written for this guide from the sources below.

What a YES vote does

The Charter is amended to remove outdated Civil Service and Department of Safety language, let City Council add duties via code, allow probation extensions for medical, military, or other approved leave, and strike the Charter caps of seven (7) Fire Department and eighteen (18) Police Department command assignments.

What a NO vote does

The Charter’s current Civil Service Commission and Department of Safety provisions stay in place, including the caps on fire and police command assignments.

Plain-language description, not official text. The Denver Ballot Information Booklet and TABOR notice do not include official yes/no vote descriptions for this measure.

How it got on the ballot

Council Bill 26-1048. Sponsors: Councilmembers Sandoval and Torres. [Legistar: Council Bill 26-1048]
Council committee: approved for filing July 21, 2026, 6–0 (absent: Gilmore). [Legistar: Council Bill 26-1048]
Full City Council: passed Aug 10, 2026, 12–0. [Legistar: Council Bill 26-1048]
Voted yes: Alvidrez, Flynn, Gilmore, Gonzales-Gutierrez, Hinds, Kashmann, Lewis, Sandoval, Sawyer, Torres, Watson, Romero Campbell. [Legistar: Council Bill 26-1048]
Parady: no vote recorded. [Legistar: Council Bill 26-1048]
Signed by the Mayor Aug 12, 2026. [Legistar: Council Bill 26-1048]

Placed on the ballot by: Denver City Council (referred Charter amendment)
Vote needed to pass: Majority of votes castThe cited Denver sources do not state the threshold; this is a plain-language description, not official text.

Official fiscal information

Strikes the Charter limits of seven (7) fire command assignments (Section 9.5.2) and eighteen (18) police command assignments (Section 9.6.3); any increase would be decided by city leaders based on department need.
“The Department of Finance estimates an increase in the number of command staff would have a de minimis financial impact if there were no change to authorized strength.” (Estimated)

From the official source’s fiscal section. Figures marked “(Estimated)” are estimates or projections in the source.