Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wants private companies to help solve public problems like a shortage of child care options and affordable housing and to help develop a Front Range passenger rail service. The Democrat’s budget proposal asks state lawmakers for more than a million dollars to open up a new public-private partnership office. The proposal […]
Scott Wasserman
Posted inBusiness, Economy, Housing, News, Politics and Government
Colorado governor supports property tax cut measure on November ballot opposed by other Democrats
Gov. Jared Polis will vote for Proposition 120, the ballot measure that gives other Democrats pause because it would slash property tax assessment rates for multifamily residential properties and lodging properties. Polis, who stated his position Monday when asked by The Colorado Sun, didn’t elaborate on why he is voting for the proposition, which is […]
Posted inEconomy, Growth, Housing, News, Politics and Government
Proposition 120: Voters will decide if Colorado property taxes will go down — at least for some
Colorado’s residential property taxes are already among the nation’s lowest, but a measure on the 2021 statewide ballot would drop them ever lower — for some. Proposition 120 would, if approved by voters, reduce the property tax assessment rates for multifamily housing to 6.5% from 7.15% starting in 2022. If you owned affected property valued […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Amendment 78: Colorado voters will decide if lawmakers should have more oversight of state spending
A measure on Colorado’s November ballot asks voters to change the way the state approves spending money from the federal government, legal settlements and other non-state sources. Amendment 78 would require the Colorado General Assembly to determine how the state uses what it defines as “custodial money,” funding the state receives from outside sources for […]
Posted inEconomy, News, Politics and Government
Colorado Democrats want to use one of TABOR’s most effective tax-halting mechanisms for themselves
One of the most effective parts of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights when it comes to stopping tax-raising ballot questions in Colorado is a requirement that voters be informed, IN CAPITAL LETTERS, about the eye-popping sum they are deciding whether to allow the government to collect. “SHALL STATE TAXES BE INCREASED $766,700,000 ANNUALLY FOR A […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, Growth, Housing, News, Politics and Government
Colorado’s stagnant budget isn’t helping the shrinking middle class, report finds
Colorado’s middle class is shrinking, and the lifestyle long associated with it — home ownership, a car, college savings and occasional vacations — is getting harder to achieve. That’s been the economic trend in the state, and across the country, for decades. But new research suggests Colorado’s public investments — or lack of them — […]
Posted inEducation, News
CU Boulder struggles to enroll low-income students. That has consequences for Coloradans’ social mobility.
Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat Colorado Despite modest gains over the last decade, the University of Colorado Boulder still ranks near the bottom of the list of flagship public universities in enrollment of low-income students. The percentage of Pell Grant recipients at the university moved from 12% in 2008 to 16% a decade later, ranking Boulder as […]
Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government
The 2020 election untied and retied the fiscal knot in Colorado with decisions on Gallagher and taxes
On the same ballot that cemented statewide Democratic power not seen since 1936, Colorado’s voters once again sent their elected leaders mixed messages on taxes and spending. They voted to raise taxes in one measure, and cut them in another. They authorized expansive new social programs, while limiting the state’s ability to afford the programs […]
Posted inBusiness, Election 2020, Politics and Government
Proposition 116 explained: Colorado must decide whether an income tax cut is worth a hit to state budget
A measure on the 2020 ballot in Colorado proposes a permanent cut to the state’s income tax rate that would give the average taxpayer a $37 break annually. The limited-government conservatives and Republican lawmakers backing Proposition 116 say the tax relief comes at a crucial moment amid the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus. The […]
Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government
Proposition 117 explained: Colorado voters would have more control over government fees
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 […]