Brian Eason

The Sun’s Capitol Sunlight project helps Coloradans understand how the state’s political systems and spending work

The Colorado Sun’s Capitol Sunlight project will help you make sense of the budget and how money is spent.

PERA’s board of directors on Friday voted unanimously to change key economic and demographic assumptions that underpin the pension’s already shaky finances.

In the 2020 election, the fickle Colorado electorate sent mixed messages on taxes and spending with big implications for the future

The use of enterprise fees to fund government programs has ballooned since the passage of TABOR made tax hikes harder to get approved.

Colorado lawmakers voted in bipartisan fashion to ask voters to remove the constitutional amendment, but didn’t offer a replacement plan

Still, rising demand and cost of state government services means reserves may not fill the gap and could force more budget cuts next year

A new Colorado Sun analysis of state property tax data determined that Gallagher has exacerbated Colorado’s urban-rural divide, gashing public budgets in small communities that already struggle to afford essential services.

Initiative 306 would reduce state tax revenues by more than $300 million in the next two fiscal years just as the state budget is crunched by the coronavirus

A look at how the new redistricting commissions are selected and how they will draw new congressional and legislative maps in Colorado

Top Colorado lawmakers said the move was intended to save $100,000 in the $30.3 billion state budget, but critics suggest it's a bad idea

Already trouble signs are emerging signaling that would-be allies lack the enthusiasm needed to sell the 2020 electorate on a difficult ballot question

Colorado’s state pension system in 2019 had one its best years in decades, then the recession hit.

The market for bond-like debt has shrugged off the pandemic crisis, allowing the Colorado transportation agency to avoid draconian budget cuts

A measure at the Capitol to put the question on the 2020 ballot appears fast-tracked for passage with bipartisan support

The Joint Budget Committee eliminated a $225 million payment from the state to the pension in the next fiscal year

The reductions under Colorado’s Gallagher Amendment would slash total school district revenue by an estimated $491 million. Fire districts would also be hard hit.

Gov. Jared Polis announced a task force in January to study the state’s tax breaks, building on the General Assembly’s efforts, but it may stall

A recent legislative analysis finds the Colorado oil and gas industry pays second lowest severance tax rate among nine Western states

A Colorado Sun survey shows all but two candidates support federal marijuana legalization, while others lack clear plans on Western issues