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 […]

Posted inBusiness, Politics and Government

To balance budget, Colorado lawmakers add to PERA’s long-term debt and backtrack from landmark deal

Just two years after Colorado approved sweeping pension reforms aimed at wiping out what was then an unfunded $32 billion debt to public sector retirees, state budget writers — facing a financial catastrophe of their own — have temporarily undone a portion of the landmark rescue package. The Joint Budget Committee tentatively decided to eliminate […]

Posted inBusiness, News, Politics and Government

More than 40% of Coloradans don’t have a retirement plan at work. The state seeks to change that.

When Pete Turner, founder of the fresh-burrito chain Illegal Pete’s, decided to offer 401(k) plans to employees a few years ago, it was tedious and time consuming. A staffer now spends 60 hours a year managing the retirement program. But it’s worth it to Turner, who wanted to provide more for his workers other than […]

Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns

Nicolais: Let’s thank the anonymous public servants who work with quiet dignity

Democrat or Republican, it’s difficult to argue that the career public servants who testified during the impeachment proceedings didn’t acquit themselves exceptionally well. I can’t help but hope that Coloradans will recognize the same quiet excellence they receive from many career public servants here in our own state. For the past two weeks, congressional witnesses […]

Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Politics and Government

Low pay. Cuts to PERA. For some state workers in Colorado, it’s like the recession never ended.

When Colorado state workers took a temporary 2.5% pay cut in 2011 to shore up the state’s pension plan, Jane Wilson didn’t like it, but she understood. The country was in the midst of the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. And the stock market’s 2008 freefall had put the Public Employees’ Retirement Association […]

Posted inNews, Politics and Government

Get to know Brian Watson, the Republican candidate for Colorado treasurer

Brian Watson overcame a crowded field of Republican primary candidates to win his party’s nomination for Colorado treasurer. It’s the 46-year-old businessman’s second real foray into Colorado politics. He lost a bid to become a state lawmaker in 2012. Watson grew up on the Western Slope, in Olathe, and graduated from the University of Colorado […]