After slashing the 2010 budget, the mayor's office is now looking at ways to restore funding, including for youth jobs.

Mayor Hickenlooper's original budget cut summer youth jobs from 1,200 - ages 16 to 24 - employed this year to 200 employed next year, the lowest level in years, said Doug Linkhart, an at-large councilman.

The mayor is hoping to find private funding to restore 200 of those jobs through the Denver Office of Economic Development's youth services, said Eric Brown, spokesman for the mayor.

Although 400 jobs is better than 200, it's still hurts, Linkhart said, especially because the workforce focuses on low-income teenagers and those getting into trouble with the law.

"Especially in this economy, where kids aren't finding things to do in the summer, we need to help them as much as we can," Linkhart said. "To go all the way down to 200 (jobs) is such a drop in the bucket."

City Council will consider final approval of the budget in early November.