An Aurora councilmember disclosed information from an executive session during a public conversation Saturday about the city’s upcoming budget shortfall.

Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky mentioned a council decision that happened in last Monday’s executive session about moving domestic violence cases to county courts.

Executive sessions happen bi-weekly before the council’s regular meetings and are closed to the public. Councilmembers don’t cast official votes in executive sessions but they can give direction to staff.

Jurinsky said in Saturday’s spring workshop that she was “wholeheartedly very disappointed” in her colleagues’ vote Monday night.

“We were told that sending (domestic violence cases) to the county would save us somewhere in the realm of 3 to 4 million dollars,” she said. “And we’re talking about negotiating $2.5 million.”

City Attorney Pete Schulte cut Jurinsky off, saying “that was in executive session, just a reminder.”

Jurinsky did not clarify what the vote was about or any further information about what she mentioned.

Councilmember Crystal Murillo asked if there are penalties for exposing information discussed in executive session, to which Schulte said there are not.

“We continue to put our city at risk when we are not confidential,” Murillo said.

“I don’t care,” Jurinsky replied.

“We know,” Murillo said.

Jurinsky added that she does not think the council is a “serious council” when it comes to budget balancing, saying members “make plans then we turn out to be all over the place.”

Councilmember Alison Coombs shot back, saying Jurinsky has “no regard” for the city’s charter.

“One of the least serious things that happens on this council is the absolute disregard of the charter and the rules in relation to how we engage with our staff, how we engage with our policies and how we engage with executive sessions,” Coombs said. “So just no. No to all of the conversation about the policy decisions recommended by professionals being unserious from a person who has no regard for any level of policymaking, research, rules and our charter. Just no. Not today.”

Jurinsky told the Denver Gazette Tuesday that she “stands by what she said” and “did nothing wrong.”

“As for turning (domestic violence cases) over to counties, this has been talked about publicly for two years. I didn’t disclose anything,” she said.

The debate about whether or not to send domestic violence cases out of Aurora Municipal Court has been ongoing for months, with the council passing a resolution in September to stop prosecuting such cases.

Instead, they decided, those cases would go to the 17th and 18th Judicial Districts.

However, in January, 18th Judicial District officials expressed concerns about having adequate resources to handle the influx of cases that would come from Aurora.

In March, staff were informed that the state did not fund requests from the 17th and 18th Judicial Districts for the staffing and resources to accommodate the additional workload from Aurora.

Because of the request denial, Arapahoe County and the 18th Judicial District requested in a meeting last month that the council consider delaying the transition until July 1, 2026 or consider phasing the transition over time.

The council decided to move forward with the transition of domestic violence cases to district courts anyway.

The scuffle between councilmembers came during a conversation Saturday about Aurora’s upcoming budget shortfall, which is anticipated to be about $11.5 million in 2026 and about $25 million total between 2026 and 2027.

“We’re kind of falling off a cliff a little bit,” Aurora Budget Officer Greg Hayes said Saturday.

Hayes said the Leeds School of Business at University of Colorado Boulder  predicts a “V” in the budget over the next several years, meaning they expect to see a drop in revenue, then an incline again, with the bottom of the “V” being in 2026.

In comparison, the Great Recession in the early 2000s was a “U,” he said, meaning it dropped and stayed that way for awhile before going back up.

However, the prediction is just that: a prediction, he said, and City Manager Jason Batchelor said there are factors that could make it more dire than they expect.

Mayor Mike Coffman added that there are many downside risks that could make the “V” worse.

“I think the downside risk is as great as COVID with the tariff policy and the chaos,” he said.

Years ago, the council voted to set aside a “recession fund,” Batchelor and Hayes explained, which budget officials are considering using funds from to help manage the bottom of the “V.”

The fund sits at about $25 million, and if they used it, they would use it in increments over the next few years rather than all at once, Hayes said. They would then need to re-fill the fund.

In addition, the city has both operating and policy reserves with a collective $40 million in case of emergencies, Hayes added.

“You all did that when the sun was shining,” Batchelor said, praising the councilmembers who voted to build that fund. “Now, the clouds are gathering.”

Other ways to balance the budget are cuts and new revenue sources, Hayes said, adding that they have also previously mentioned tax increases, but those wouldn’t help the 2026 budget because they would have to go to voters this November.

Currently, the budget team is examining various fee increases to see where the city could both increase and add new fees in 2026, a decision that would not have to go to voters. Additionally, they are looking at programs that could be cut, and looking to department leads to get input on where departments think they can cut, he said.

Before any of those decisions are made, Jurinsky thinks the city should look at the “wasteful spending” in Aurora, she said.

“I would like our personal travel budgets looked at. I would like serious consideration about sending (domestic violence cases) to the county. I’d like to look at groups and organizations that we fund that I don’t think do anything for the city of Aurora,” Jurinsky said.

Budget officials will continue to look at various options for fee increases and other methods of balancing the budget, bringing them to the council as they flesh them out more, Hayes said.