Denver city employees could gain another paid holiday day off this year if the City Council approves a bill designating the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day for the City and County of Denver.

Although the bill’s sponsors acknowledge that compensating employees for the holiday could cost more than $5 million, District 11 Councilmember Stacie Gilmore called it a “soft cost” because the city had budgeted for the day as a work day.

However, the city would have to provide $1.3 in overtime pay for those who would be required to work on the new holiday.

On Tuesday, Gilmore told the Finance and Governance Committee members that she credits Mayor Mike Johnson’s administration in locating “vacancy savings or agency savings” that could be used for overtime pay if needed.

Gilmore said that if the bill passes, future funding for the additional holiday would be included in future city budgets.

“Indigenous Peoples’ Day might seem like it’s just a holiday, that it’s flippant, and that it doesn’t matter,” said Raven Payment, co-chair of the Denver American Indian Commission. “But it’s more than just a symbolic gesture. It is a commitment. It acknowledges our history, uplifts our community, and it’s also a commitment to do better moving forward — it’s a reminder that our recognition matched with this action ensures that our community’s voices, our rights and our contributions are valued, not just every (holiday) day, but also throughout the year.”

Along with creating an official city holiday, the bill would also repeal the city’s current commemorative status of the holiday to avoid confusion.

In 2016, City Council unanimously voted to recognize Oct. 12 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, codifying the commemorative holiday in city code, stating: “Colorado is the ancestral homeland of 48 tribes, that the Denver metro area is home to the descendants of about 100 tribal nations and that Denver will ‘continue to promote racial equity and justice for all people and oppose discrimination towards indigenous peoples.’”

The holiday, if approved, would come the week after state holiday Frances Xavier Cabrini Day, which honors Mother Cabrini. In 2020, Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill abolishing Columbus Day and replacing it with Cabrini day on the first Monday of October.

The bill’s first reading before the council is expected on March 17, with the final reading on March 25.

Bill sponsors include Council President Amanda Sandoval, President Pro Tem Diana Romero Campbell, and Councilmembers Flor Alvidrez, Stacie Gilmore, Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and Jamie Torres.