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As Colorado legislative session winds down, property tax reform is still in the air, but progress on other fronts

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As Colorado legislative session winds down, property tax reform is still in the air, but progress on other fronts


For the second year in a row, the sounds of Cinco de Mayo echoed into the Capitol as lawmakers toiled on a Saturday to find common ground on proposed reforms to state land use and property tax policy.

The 120-day legislative session ends Wednesday, and lawmakers are still wrestling with some of the marquee proposals of the session, though with some breakthroughs on issues that had threatened to chew up valuable time — while other potential hot spots emerged.

The Senate passed Saturday a significantly narrowed ban on minimum parking requirements, one of the proposed land use reforms that emerged from the failure of last year’s omnibus proposal. The original bill had aimed to ban parking minimums throughout many of Colorado’s cities and suburbs. To tone down opposition, sponsor Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, a Pueblo Democrat, limited the ban just to areas along transit corridors. (Senators also ribbed Hinrichsen by offering an amendment that would remove his parking spot at the Capitol.)

“It will save a lot of money for builders, and they’ll be able to offer more product in the form of affordable housing, to actually build housing, as opposed to building parking and housing for folks that don’t necessarily want any parking,” Sen. Kevin Priola, a Henderson Democrat and bill sponsor, said.

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The proposal, House Bill 1304, will now need to return to the House for reconsideration. Meanwhile, two other major land use proposals — one to boost the number of accessory dwelling units through the state and another to increase density along transit corridors — still need to formally pass the Senate after passing the House. Some senators have raised concerns about both as possibly stepping on local control.

Meanwhile, lawmakers negotiating a proposed long-term reform to property taxes continued to run around the Capitol to find a deal in the waning days. It needs to be introduced on Monday at the latest to have enough time to clear the building before the end of the regular session — and stave off another potential special session on property tax.

In addition to filling a gap in tax policy left by the repeal of the Gallagher Amendment and giving property owners a break on rising property taxes, they’re trying to head off ballot initiatives that would severely cap property tax collections. Backers of the initiatives argue it’s about keeping the government from growing faster than paychecks and keeping homeowners solvent. But state officials, including some elected Republicans, warn it would lead to draconian cuts to state and local government services.

Parties on all sides of the negotiation say they’re closing in on a deal, but it is still being tuned — and not guaranteed.

“We’re pushing really hard,” said Dave Davia, president of Colorado Concern, a business group backing some of the initiatives, adding that they’re hoping for a legislative solution.

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Other priority bills for Democratic leadership continued apace Saturday.

The Senate formally passed a pair of bills to reduce emissions from oil and gas production and levy a per-barrel fee to pay for transit and wildlife habitat. The bills were introduced this week to ease simmering tensions between environmental groups, legislators and the industry and end dueling legislation and ballot initiatives affecting the industry. They will now go to the House for consideration.

Another bill, to put a 6.5% excise tax on guns and ammo in Colorado, also cleared a key Senate committee after concerns about its movement through the chamber boiled over into the public. The tax would raise an estimated $39 million a year and go to victim services and behavioral health programs.

The Democratic Women’s Caucus of Colorado publicly accused Sen. Kyle Mullica, a Thornton Democrat, of holding up the bill and threatening to kill it. He called the letter full of “falsehoods” and said the bill was merely going through standard amendment negotiations. He praised advocates and bill sponsors before voting yes on the bill in committee.

Meanwhile, the amended bill raised the hackles of Sen. Kevin Van Winkle, a Highlands Ranch Republican, because it removed school security as a possible use for the excise tax. He promised “vigorous” debate on the Senate floor if it isn’t replaced — a potent threat as lawmakers race against the Constitutionally required end of the session.

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Voters will also have the chance to remove defunct language in the Colorado Constitution defining marriage as between a man and woman, after the House approved a referred measure Saturday. It already cleared the Senate. Referred measures to amend the state Constitution need at least two-thirds support in each chamber to pass. It passed with bipartisan support in the Senate, but near party lines in the House, where Democrats hold a supermajority.

The proposed amendment would remove a ban approved by voters in 2006. It has been unenforceable since 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide with its ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. A majority of voters will need to approve the proposal this November for it to take effect.

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Colorado

Colorado State Patrol chases off-duty Denver police officer; officer arrested over a month later

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Colorado State Patrol chases off-duty Denver police officer; officer arrested over a month later


Newly released documents detail how a Colorado State Patrol trooper briefly chased an off-duty Denver police officer near Golden in October, how investigators used cell phone location data to track the officer’s speed, and the charges he now faces.

Christopher Thomas, 29, was arrested on Friday and released later that day on a $5,000 cash or surety bond. An arrest affidavit obtained by CBS News Colorado on Monday shows that the arrest was connected to a brief Oct. 23 chase involving a state trooper on Highway 58 just west of Golden.

Denver Police Officer Christopher Thomas

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Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office


Around 11:30 p.m. that night, a state trooper parked on the shoulder of the highway clocked a Dodge Ram pickup truck at 102 mph in a 65 mph zone, according to an arrest warrant. The trooper chased the truck with his lights and sirens on and got a partial license plate number when they got to eastbound Interstate 70 near Kipling Street in Wheat Ridge. At that point, the trooper said he and the truck were going 90 mph.

The trooper said traffic was “moderate” and described the driver as “reckless.” When he got behind the truck, it “accelerated aggressively.”

“The Trooper initiated a short pursuit, but speeds exceeded 100 miles per hour, and due to moderate traffic on Interstate 70, the Trooper discontinued the pursuit,” CSP said in a news release on Monday.

Dispatchers ran the partial license plate and vehicle model, which brought up Thomas, according to the arrest warrant. Troopers parked on his street, and when Thomas returned home, he saw the troopers and allegedly fled, losing the troopers.

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Learning the identity of the driver, CSP and several Denver police officers contacted DPD’s internal affairs unit, who requested that Thomas come into DPD headquarters. He did, having arrived in the same truck he allegedly fled troopers in, according to the arrest warrant.

After being read his Miranda Rights, Thomas requested to speak to an attorney, but agreed to let investigators search his personal cellphone for location data, calls, and text messages. Investigators say they were unable to find any evidence through a manual search of his phone and returned it to Thomas while they waited for a call detail records, or “CDR” warrant.

CDR warrants allow law enforcement to get cellphone metadata from cell service providers, which shows things like location data, who someone calls or is called by, when, and how long they’re on the phone for.

The warrant was approved and signed by a Jefferson County judge on Nov. 7 and sent to Thomas’s cellphone carrier. On Nov. 21, the company returned the requested CDR data to DPD, whose investigators then pored through that information using a program called Nighthawk on Dec. 3.

The location data, coupled with the time Thomas was allegedly at those locations, led investigators to estimate the speed at which he was traveling and placed him at locations consistent with the pursuit, according to the arrest warrant.

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Two days later, Thomas was arrested on suspicion of felony vehicular eluding creating a substantial risk of bodily injury and misdemeanor reckless endangerment.

Thomas joined DPD in 2021 and was most recently assigned as a patrol officer to District 1, in the northwest part of the city, according to the department. He was suspended without pay because he’s facing a felony charge. If convicted of the felony, he’d lose the ability to be a law enforcement officer in Colorado.

“The Denver Police Department is committed to transparency and accountability,” the department said in a statement on Friday. “When a Denver Police officer is arrested, DPD works to proactively share information in a timely manner, when possible. As with all arrests, the suspect is innocent until proven guilty.”

DPD says it will conduct an administrative review of Thomas’s alleged actions after his criminal case concludes.

He has not yet formally been charged. He’s due back in court on Monday.

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Reached by phone on Tuesday, Thomas’s attorney declined to comment on the case while it’s ongoing.



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Denver City Council approves nonprofit Urban Alchemy as new manager of one of city’s homeless shelters

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Denver City Council approves nonprofit Urban Alchemy as new manager of one of city’s homeless shelters



The future manager of one of Denver’s homeless shelters will also respond to mental health calls.

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The Denver City Council approved two contracts with the nonprofit Urban Alchemy on Monday night. One, after a 9-4 vote, will be for $30 million to run The Aspen shelter in the city’s Central Park neighborhood for three years. The other will be for $3 million to answer 3-1-1 calls.

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The Salvation Army will no longer operate the Aspen Shelter (a former Doubletree hotel on Quebec Street) and two others at the end of the year.

The St. Francis Center will take over the Stone Creek shelter and Bayaud Works will run the Tamarac Family Shelter.

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Debate among the council and from the public before the vote was heated.

Urban Alchemy is based in San Francisco and runs shelters across the country. It says it has a culture of redemption, transparency and five-star service. In other cities, however, the nonprofit has faced allegations of wage theft, data misrepresentation, lobbying violations and sexual harassment. The Denver mayor’s office says Urban Alchemy has taken responsibility for those past mistakes and is ready to help.

“There (are) challenges at every single one of our locations. This is really hard work. But I have confidence in their ability to deliver a high quality of service to the people at our shelters and the Denver community,” said Cole Chandler, the senior advisor on homelessness in the mayor’s office.

Urban Alchemy sent a statement to CBS Colorado saying: “We look forward to partnering with the City of Denver to change lives and deliver meaningful results for people experiencing homelessness and in crisis. Our motto is: we can show you better than we can tell you, and we know our impact will speak for itself.” 

Urban Alchemy has hired 70 people in Denver so far.

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Denver’s Department of Housing Stability says it will investigate any complaints against Urban Alchemy and could recommend contract termination. Members of the department told CBS Colorado they are excited for the partnership.



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Another round of 18 to 24″ of snow possible on Colorado mountain range

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Another round of 18 to 24″ of snow possible on Colorado mountain range


After a weekend of widespread snow in Colorado’s mountains, more snow is on the way. This round of wintery weather won’t be quite as widespread, but it should bring significant accumulation to a part of the state that’s already been hit hard in recent days. With this latest round of snow, most heavy accumulation will […]



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