Colorado Supreme Court upholds taxes for special districts
DENVER – The Colorado Supreme Court has upheld the legality of sales taxes that are collected by two special districts in metropolitan Denver.
Monday’s ruling came in a lawsuit filed by a taxpayer advocacy group in 2013. It sued the Regional Transportation District and a cultural district for allegedly violating Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
TABOR requires voter approval for any tax hike.
The legislature in 2013 allowed RTD and the cultural district to collect taxes on things such as candy, soft drinks and cigarettes.
The court ruled that new taxes are such minor changes to tax policy that they don’t require voter approval.
The taxes are expected to generate $2.7 million annually for RTD and $250,000 for the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. That’s less than 1 percent of their budgets.
Builders say state’s push fails to create more affordable housing
Mark Samuelson Special to The Denver Gazette
mark.samuelson@denvergazette.com
Updated 13 hours ago
What’s the secret sauce for making homes more affordable in Colorado? That’s the question that renters are asking when the median price of a home — now $550,000 — ranks Colorado as one of the least affordable places to live...
Judge dismisses young climate activists’ lawsuit challenging Trump on fossil fuels | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
The Associated Press
the-associated-press@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 weeks ago
MONTANA Judge dismisses climate lawsuit BILLINGS — A federal judge on Oct. 15 dismissed a lawsuit from young climate activists seeking to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders promoting fossil fuels and discouraging renewable energy. U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen...
Colorado Politics Calendar Nov. 3-9
Rachael Wright
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 5 days ago
CoPo’s weekly political calendar will help you find political and public-policy events throughout Colorado. It includes candidate and issue campaign events, public policy meetings, court hearings, state and local party conventions, assemblies, debates, rallies, parades, speaking engagements, traveling dignitary appearances,...
Historic race unfolds upon retirement of longest serving speaker of the house| A LOOK BACK
Rachael Wright
rachael.wright@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 5 days ago
Thirty-Five Years Ago This Week: With state House Speaker Carl “Bev” Bledsoe, R-Hugo, term-limited, eager Republicans — and a Democrat — were gearing to step into the shoes of the longest-serving house speaker in the Colorado General Assembly. In the running...
Democrat Amie Baca-Oehlert ends campaign to challenge Republican Gabe Evans in Colorado’s 8th CD
Ernest Luning
ernest.luning@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
Calling the political system “rigged against working-class people,” Democrat Amie Baca-Oehlert, a former president of Colorado’s largest teachers union, on Friday ended her bid to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans in the state’s most competitive congressional district. Baca-Oehlert’s exit...
Free food and other assistance for Colorado Springs-area families affected by government shutdown restrictions
DEBBIE KELLEY
debbie-kelley@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
Worry over the impending freeze on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program coupled with some federal workers not being paid due to the continuing government shutdown is contributing to increased need for social services, according to Colorado Springs food pantries and...
Federal judge: ‘Clear evidence’ shows ICE violates law on warrantless arrests
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
A federal judge repeatedly observed on Friday that the evidence from a two-day hearing strongly suggested immigration agents have been arresting people without warrants in Colorado in violation of federal law. “There’s a policy. These guys just don’t follow it....
‘I do not think we’re in a judicial crisis’: Federal, state judges speak of challenges for judiciary
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 day ago
Members of Colorado’s federal and state judiciaries spoke on Wednesday about the concerns they see with how the public engages with judges’ work, and about judges’ limited ability to correct misinformation. “Someone goes out there on social media and says,...
School safety, staff compensation, girls’ sports top issues for Douglas County school board race
Noah Festenstein
noah.festenstein@denvergazette.com
Updated 16 hours ago
School safety, board transparency and girls’ sports emerged as some of the common themes for Douglas County School District candidates vying for four seats in Tuesday’s election. Eight candidates are running on similar issues, notably safety amid violence at schools...
Gov. Polis proposes privatizing Pinnacol Assurance to address next year’s budget deficit
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
Gov. Jared Polis is hoping for a windfall from the privatization of Colorado’s quasi-public workers’ compensation insurance division to cover some of the anticipated deficits in next year’s operating budget. The 2026-27 state budget, as proposed by the governor, amounts...
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