Colorado’s pension system missed out on millions of dollars in potential investment revenue as a result of lawmakers’ decision last year to park money in a low-interest bank account, according to an analysis by nonpartisan legislative staff. The legislature set aside $380 million last year in a low-interest bank account to ensure the state could […]
Shannon Bird
Posted inBusiness, Economy, Housing, News, Politics and Government
Colorado lawmakers shelve proposal to more than triple property taxes for short-term rentals
A group of state lawmakers Wednesday spiked an effort to change the property taxation formula for short-term rentals in Colorado, underscoring the political touchiness of the topic sparking regulatory debate across the state. In a 5-1 vote, the Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning Tax Policy rejected an effort to advance a draft bill that would have […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
The ACLU has become a powerful player at the Colorado Capitol. But at what cost?
The ACLU of Colorado team credited with helping pass a slate of sweeping criminal justice reform measures abruptly resigned this month amid questions about whether the organization — powered by a jump in donations and a favorable political climate — was too aggressive in wielding its new status as one of the most influential groups […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Health, News, Politics and Government
Colorado lawmakers demand counties comply with coronavirus restrictions to access relief money
Colorado lawmakers are trying to use coronavirus relief dollars as a way to persuade counties to follow Gov. Jared Polis’ COVID-19 restrictions. A bipartisan bill that won preliminary approval on Monday, the first day of a special legislative session, would withhold direct-aid payments to small businesses and arts organizations in counties that refuse to comply […]
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 inEducation, Politics and Government
The Democratic agenda came with a big price tag. Now Colorado budget writers worry about paying the bill.
To pass their expansive legislative agenda, the new Democratic majority at the Colorado Capitol spent big this year. Real big. And now even Democratic budget writers are worried about how to make ends meet. “There were a lot of bills passed last (session) that have continued spending … and some of those were very large,” […]
Posted inEducation, Growth, Politics and Government
Colorado needs affordable housing. The state owns land. Can this combination work?
A block away from where state lawmakers try to solve intractable financial questions, like school funding and affordable housing, sit two dilapidated warehouses that could soon be put to work addressing both issues at once. Under an innovative plan hatched during the previous administration, the State Land Board has agreed to lease the publicly owned […]
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 […]