A resolution approving a proposed Amendatory Agreement between the City and…

This resolution authorizes an amendatory agreement between the City and County of Denver and Brothers Redevelopment, Inc., a nonprofit housing organization, to continue administering Denver's Property Tax Relief program. The amendment adds $2,450,000 to the existing contract, raising the cumulative total to $3,650,000, and extends the contract end date by twelve months to December 31, 2026. The practical effect is enabling BRI to serve approximately 1,629 additional households during the 2026 program year across all of Denver.

Brothers Redevelopment, Inc. is a Colorado-based nonprofit with decades of experience in affordable housing, home repair, and housing counseling services. The Property Tax Relief program it administers helps income-qualifying Denver residents, often seniors and low-income homeowners, navigate and apply for property tax exemptions or relief mechanisms available under Colorado law. As Denver property values have risen sharply over the past decade, property tax burdens have grown correspondingly, making such relief programs increasingly critical for long-term residents on fixed incomes.

Fiscally, the $2.45 million addition represents a significant municipal expenditure, funded through HOST (Housing Opportunity for Stability and Transitions) appropriations. The cost-per-household served works out to roughly $1,504 per additional household, which city officials and program supporters likely view as cost-effective given the alternative of displacement and increased demand for emergency housing services. The contract mechanism, an amendatory agreement rather than a new contract, suggests the city is satisfied with BRI's existing performance under the prior agreement.

The constitutional and legal basis for this type of municipal contract falls under Denver's home-rule authority as a consolidated city and county under the Colorado Constitution. The city has broad discretion to appropriate funds for housing stability programs and to contract with nonprofit providers to deliver those services. The 30-day council review period, with the last scheduled meeting on January 5, 2026, provides the standard legislative oversight window before final action.

Stakeholders affected include low-income and senior homeowners across Denver who may qualify for property tax relief, nonprofit housing service providers, and the broader Denver housing ecosystem. Rising property taxes tied to rapid real estate appreciation have made programs like this a front-line tool in the city's housing stability strategy, placing this resolution squarely within Denver's larger policy debate about affordability and displacement prevention.

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Denver's city government is moving to renew and expand its contract with Brothers Redevelopment, Inc., a local nonprofit, to keep running the city's Property Tax Relief program for another year. The amendment adds $2,450,000 to the existing agreement, bringing the total to $3,650,000, and pushes the contract end date to December 31, 2026. The expanded funding is expected to allow BRI to assist approximately 1,629 additional Denver households in applying for property tax relief during the 2026 program year.

Supporters of the measure, including the city's Housing Opportunity for Stability and Transitions committee, which approved the filing on December 2, 2025, argue that the program is an efficient and proven tool for keeping vulnerable residents, particularly seniors and low-income homeowners, in their homes. As Denver property values have climbed steadily over the past decade, annual property tax bills have followed, placing outsized pressure on residents whose incomes have not kept pace. Proponents say that for roughly $1,500 per household, the program prevents far costlier downstream consequences such as homelessness and emergency shelter demand.

Opponents and skeptics raise questions about the lack of competitive bidding in the amendment process, arguing that channeling millions to a single nonprofit without reopening competition could reduce accountability and innovation in service delivery. Some fiscal watchdogs also question whether property tax relief programs treat symptoms rather than causes of Denver's housing affordability crisis, and whether the funds could be deployed more effectively through structural housing supply initiatives or direct financial assistance programs.

For ordinary Denver residents, the practical meaning of the resolution is straightforward: the office and staff that help qualifying homeowners fill out property tax exemption paperwork and navigate state relief programs will remain funded and operational through the end of 2026. For the roughly 1,629 households expected to be served, the program can represent the difference between staying in a home they may have owned for decades and being forced to sell or relocate due to a tax bill they cannot afford to pay.