Colorado Counties Inc's mouth is watering for more of your money. An excess in state coffers is never enough. Heads up Golden, Colorado residents!
Colorado Counties Inc's mouth is watering for more of your money.
The article linked below details a bill that Colorado Counties Inc. is planning to run (sponsored by Dylan Roberts and Julie McCluskie) that would allow counties to tax businesses in unincorporated areas of the state, something they're not currently able to do legally.
In the article you'll find a lot of words about increasing costs to counties, about costs related to the businesses in unincorporated areas (for example rafting companies), and about how the counties have lost money when the state recently moved to lower property taxes to help homeowners.
Missing from the list, of course, is any notion that one way to help budgets is to do what families all around this state have to do: tighten their belts. No the answer, so common from government officials, is the old standby of needing more of your money either by directly taking from you or making prices go up by taking from businesses.
I also thought the quote below was quite telling. From the article,
"Under the bill concept, counties could also ask voters to let them tax a manufacturer in their community to help pay for health services, for instance. While the idea originated around recreation, it quickly evolved to include any industry. The taxing authority could extend to delivery services, manufacturing and other businesses, as well. The bill won’t mention any specific industries, [executive director of Colorado Counties Incorporated Kelly] Flenniken said. 'We left it almost intentionally vague because we are very confident of the differences from county to county,' Flenniken said."
I wasn't at any meetings, but oh how completely unsurprised I am that the idea about taxing "quickly evolved".
Once they got the idea of grabbing yet more money from others, I'm sure the different ways to taking it just flowed like a river. It's always easy to think of how many different ways other people can pay for things.
If this move is of concern to you, I would suggest reaching out to your county commissioner now. The county commissioners are the ones who are directing Colorado Counties Inc and a word with them is the best thing to do until the bill hits the legislature this January.
In that spirit, I contacted my county commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg to see his thoughts on the issue. I also put in a word for a change to the bill that would require the taxes to be time-limited, and for a specific purpose. This as opposed to open-ended "forever" taxes whose only real effect will be to grow government until the next tax increase, never to actually sate its hunger for money.
When the government talks about needing more of your money, you should ask if they've already got an excess.
The Colorado Politics article linked first below details how, according to a recent audit, state agencies are sitting on an extra about $25M in cash reserves (not an exact analogy, but picture having extra money in a savings account -- you're not using it to pay bills, but it's sitting there and could be used).
Apparently, this isn't a new problem either (more below). Quoting from the article:
"The excess reserves were held in 19 different cash funds. Two state department cash funds, the Department of Local Affairs' Private Activity Bond Allocation Fund and its Mobile Home Park Act Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Fund, and the Department of Public Health and Environment's Vital Records Fund, have held excess uncommitted reserves at least three consecutive years. Because of this, the Office of the State Controller has restricted the departments' spending authority for the funds in question until the excess funds are spent."**
At least three consecutive years of holding onto extra money.
This brings to mind a couple things. First, the problem here is not new. Speaking of going back a few years, let's go back about 2 years into the past, to an earlier newsletter (linked second below).
A different auditor's report (linked in the newsletter) at that time found that the recommendations the auditor had made were flat out ignored by other state agencies, some for close on to a decade.
Our state government has a nasty habit of not keeping its financial house in order. They mess up, they don't fix their oopsies, and then they mess up some more.
And that brings me to the second thing that floated up in my mind while reading and preparing to write this. I have written numerous times now about the budget shortfall our state has. There is an approximately $1B hole our state must fill in the coming budget year.
Hoarding this money is (at least as far as I'm aware) not part of that calculated budget hole, but it is part of the problem.
Over and over we taxpayers are told that the government cannot function without more (and more, and yet more) of our money. Later we come to find out that they had a ton of money hidden away, that they're not following the rules about money in this state, and that this has gone on for years.
This puts us in the position of paying not just for their lack of ability to live within their means, but also the repeated million-dollar mistakes they're making.
Tell you what, how about you fix your financials before coming to take more from me.
**Translating to plainer language, the State Controller has not allowed these funds to spend any current money until they spend down the excess savings.
Heads up Golden Colorado residents!
If you are in Golden, or know someone who is, be aware that tomorrow (12/17) the city is voting on a measure to use Certificates of Participation (see an earlier newsletter linked at bottom for context) to take on a BIG debt without having to ask voters.
I saw screenshots 1 and 2 yesterday on Twitter outlining in brief what is happening.
In screenshot 1 you will see mention of a group called Golden Residents Count. I link to their site second below if you want to look them up.
If you live in Golden or know someone who does, speak up at the coming meeting or call your City Council ahead of it.
Time's short, so don't wait!
https://open.substack.com/pub/coloradoaccountabilityproject/p/a-quick-update-on-the-suit-against?r=15ij6n&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
https://goldenresidentscount.com/