It’s the rare point of bipartisan agreement in Colorado politics where public spending is concerned: Since the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights took effect in 1992, state lawmakers have increasingly turned to fees to fund government operations. But how you feel about that development, depends on your politics. To the left, it’s an unfortunate side effect […]
Brian Eason
Brian Eason writes about the Colorado state budget, tax policy, PERA and housing. He's passionate about explaining how our government works, and why it often fails to serve the public interest.
Topic expertise: Public finance, tax policy, housing, PERA
Location: Denver
Newsletter: The Unaffiliated
Education: University of Missouri and Georgia State University
Honors & Awards: Brian has won a number of awards for investigative and political reporting in state-level contests. In 2015, he won the Kent Cooper Award for story of the year in Indiana. In 2023, he led a reporting team in Atlanta that won Bronze in the national Barlett & Steele Awards.
Professional membership(s): Investigative Reporters and Editors
Contact:
Bluesky: @brianeason.bsky.social
Threads: @atbrianeason
Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government
Amendment B explained: What repealing the Gallagher Amendment would mean for Colorado and your property taxes
For the second straight year, Colorado voters face a choice on a complicated tax question that could have major implications for generations to come in terms of public services and taxpayers’ wallets. This time, the matter at hand is whether to repeal the Gallagher Amendment, a constitutional provision that has had more impact on Colorado […]
Posted inBusiness, Politics and Government
Colorado state budget could escape “worst of the worst,” latest economic estimates show
Colorado could be spared billions in additional state budget cuts under new economic forecasts released Friday with one crucial caveat: As long as new viral outbreaks don’t send the economy back into a tailspin. “I think today’s forecast is going to spare us the worst of the worst,” Lauren Larson, the governor’s budget director, told […]
Posted inBusiness, Election 2020, Politics and Government
Amendment B puts spotlight on Gallagher’s mixed legacy of budget cuts, tax relief and inequality in Colorado
If you live in the Denver metro area, you can be forgiven if the panic surrounding the Gallagher Amendment sounds like utter nonsense. “What tax cuts?” a homeowner may ask. Gallagher has saved Colorado residents $2.8 billion in property taxes last year alone, but in the metro area, homeowners continue to see their property tax […]
Posted inBusiness, Politics and Government
Gov. Jared Polis praises Republican-backed ballot question to lower Colorado income taxes
A Republican-authored measure to cut Colorado’s state income taxes amid the economic crisis may have an unlikely ally when it appears on the November ballot: Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. In a brief interview with The Colorado Sun, Polis praised the intent of Initiative 306, a ballot measure that would permanently reduce the state income tax […]
Posted inPolitics and Government
Colorado’s new redistricting process needs you — yes, you — to help decide the political districts
By a landslide, Colorado voters decided in 2018 to overhaul the state’s once-a-decade redistricting process. The goal: finally putting an end to the partisan bloodsport known as gerrymandering. Now, the responsibility falls on the same voters to ensure that the reforms work as planned. This month, the state began accepting applications to serve on the […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, News, Politics and Government
As the financial crisis hits Colorado, PERA’s new oversight commission is sidelined
Two years ago, when Colorado lawmakers agreed to rescue the state pension plan from the financial brink for the second time in a decade, they insisted on new safeguards. Among them: A special oversight commission with a subcommittee comprised of lawmakers and outside financial experts to monitor the reforms, vet pension-related legislation, and — if […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Politics and Government
Now that Colorado lawmakers have put Gallagher repeal on the ballot, will they actually be able to pass it?
When the General Assembly two years ago agreed to study the state’s dysfunctional property tax code, reform advocates were optimistic that years of warnings would finally lead to action. A bipartisan panel came up with a variety of options to repeal and replace the Gallagher Amendment, the constitutional measure that for decades has squeezed essential […]
Posted inPolitics and Government
Before coronavirus, PERA had one of its best years in decades. Here are 3 concerns going forward.
Buoyed by stellar investment returns and the ongoing implementation of a legislative rescue package, Colorado’s state pension system in 2019 had one of its best years in decades. But — pension officials acknowledged with Friday’s release of the system’s annual finance report — the topline numbers belie the depths of the challenges the Public Employees’ […]
Posted inPolitics and Government, Transportation
Amid budget crunch, Colorado nets much-needed windfall for road projects with strong debt sale
For once, some good budget news. Colorado received a $111 million premium on a debt issuance of $500 million, thanks to strong investor demand for state-issued debt. As a result, budget writers say that $100 million in planned cuts to the Colorado Department of Transportation over the next two years — and some additional cuts […]