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Denver’s next dubious distinction — tax capital | Denver Gazette

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Denver’s next dubious distinction — tax capital | Denver Gazette


Denver is Colorado’s capital and its most populous city. With the largest municipal budget in the state, it also spends the most. It is, hands down, the state’s premier sanctuary city for illegal immigration, and it is an epicenter of auto theft.

In addition to those debatable and, in some cases, dubious distinctions, Denver now might join the ranks of Colorado cities that tax the most.

As reported in The Gazette last week, Denver’s City Council is considering whether to ask voters for a sales tax hike to help fund Denver Health. The city-county’s “safety net” hospital of last resort — which takes all patients regardless of ability to pay or lack of health coverage — has been reeling from the soaring cost of skyrocketing indigent care.

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If the council proceeds and voters go along, it would make Denver the highest-taxed major city in the metro area. Denver also would have one of the highest tax rates in the state.

The proposed 0.34-percentage point hike would push Denver’s total sales tax rate to 9.15%.

But wait — there’s more.

As District 2 council veteran Kevin Flynn pointed out in The Gazette’s report, another couple of pending tax measures — one of them, a sales-tax hike for affordable housing — also could be headed for this fall’s municipal ballot. That could push Denver’s total sales tax to 9.61%.

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All of which is atop a couple of other developments — over which the City and County of Denver has no direct control, but which would compound the average Denverite’s tax bill.

One is a proposed, nearly $1 billion bond issue for Denver Public Schools, pending before the DPS board. The other is of course the elephant in the room — the explosive growth of most Coloradans’ property taxes over the past few years. Many tax bills that arrived this spring posted upwards of 25% increases.

Point is, Denver voters are painfully aware of it all. They also are aware of a big reason they might be asked to bail out Denver Health — illegal immigration. As The Gazette’s report noted, the hospital saw $10 million in additional “uncompensated care” in the last year alone. The health system attributes that budget hit largely to tens of thousands of visits from immigrant patients from South and Central America who entered the U.S. illegally and arrived in Denver.

Said Dr. Taylor McCormick, associate director of Pediatrics Emergency Medicine at Denver Health, “Denver Health is eating the cost for many of these visits.”

And now, the city’s taxpayers might be asked to eat some of those costs, as well. That’s in addition to slashed city services Denverites have endured — like reduced hours at parks and rec centers and DMV branches and, above all, cuts to the public safety budget. It’s all part of the tab handed to taxpayers, like it or not, for the city’s sanctuary status.

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You can bet Denverites are fed up.

Flynn, who expressed, “a serious concern about burdening Denver taxpayers,” seems to get it. He noted Denver citizens already have been generous with Denver Health: “Every time I pay my mortgage, and my property taxes are in that, it goes to pay off bonds that have built capital construction at Denver Health.”

Flynn also raised concerns about the bigger fiscal picture.

“Our sales tax revenues are already falling short of our projections, and that has me concerned for our general fund,” he said. “It might be time to look at putting a ceiling on our sales tax rates.”

A sales-tax ceiling? Now there’s a proposal we’d like to see the council refer to the ballot.

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Denver Gazette Editorial Board



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Denver, CO

Armed man killed in Commerce City police shooting after standoff

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Armed man killed in Commerce City police shooting after standoff


A 29-year-old armed man was shot and killed by officers after a nearly five-hour standoff Friday, according to Commerce City police .

Police officers and SWAT team members responded to a home in the 6700 block of East 72nd Avenue about 2 p.m. Friday for an “armed and barricaded suspect” who was wanted on suspicion of a domestic violence assault from earlier in the day.

The man briefly held a maintenance worker hostage inside the home before the worker escaped on his own, police said in a news release. The man refused to surrender and threatened to shoot police officers even after hours of conversation with negotiators, according to the department.

The man “was eventually shot by police” and died at the scene despite officers providing medical aid, the department  said Friday. His name will be released by the Adams County coroners office.

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The 17th Judicial District is investigating the shooting.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

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Denver, CO

Tubing ban rescinded for Boulder Creek

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Tubing ban rescinded for Boulder Creek


Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson will rescind the tubing ban for Boulder Creek, effective at 5 p.m. today.

According to a release, deputies will be removing the posted signage by the creek.

The initial restrictions took effect on June 12, due to high water flow from melted snow.

The closure encompassed Boulder Creek from below Boulder Falls at Boulder Canyon Drive to 55th Street, according to the release.

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Although water levels have fallen, officers advised to be aware that the water conditions still may not be safe for your skill and comfort level.

Police also recommended to always use caution and wear personal safety equipment while recreating near bodies of water.

Examples of personal safety equipment include a personal flotation device or life jacket, a drysuit or wetsuit, and a helmet.

Those using water sport equipment like tubes or kayaks, are asked to place their name and contact information on the equipment in the event that they lose it in the water.

The tubing ban for the St. Vrain Creek was lifted on Thursday.

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Denver district attorney candidates make final pitches to voters

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Denver district attorney candidates make final pitches to voters


DENVER (KDVR)- Candidates in primary races are entering into the home stretch with ballot boxes closing Tuesday.

There are some hotly contested races in Denver, including the race for the next district attorney. With no Republican running for the seat, the two Democratic candidates are going all in ahead of the primary election.

Two Democrats with significant legal careers are going head-to-head in hopes of becoming Denver’s next district attorney. They are each making their final pitches to a group of voters who are notorious for turning in their ballots just before they close.

John Walsh and Leora Joseph are battling to become Denver’s next district attorney.

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Walsh served as U.S. Attorney during the Obama administration. Joseph is the director of the state’s Office of Behavioral Health. They both have some high-profile endorsements from influential figures across the state, but Walsh earned the endorsement of D.A. Beth McCann. Walsh wants voters to know he’s looking to reenergize the office while still holding people accountable.

“That depth of connection to the Denver metro community I think really matters. It’s that experience as a prosecutor but also a really, intimate understanding of this entire city that will make a difference,” Walsh said. “While I’m very proud to have Beth McCann’s endorsement, I’m not Beth McCann 2.0. In terms of what I would differently, I think we really have to focus on the problems we’ve got right in front of us. That includes a stubbornly high violent crime rate in Denver and an unfortunately increasing youth violence rate. That’s an area I would come at with vigor to make sure we are approaching it both to prosecute the small number of people both who are truly dangerous to the community but also that we work with the community to get young people opportunities to stay out of cultures that can lead to violence.”

Walsh also said he would focus on prosecuting drug dealers in an effort to curb the fentanyl epidemic and using the criminal justice system to get people treatment. He also said he wants to crack down on car theft.

Joseph wants voters to know she plans to prosecute crime but she also wants to use her background in behavioral health to bring a compassionate approach to what she says is a mental health crisis in the city.

“My central message: I’m running on change. If you think we need to change how public safety is being administered in this city, I’m your candidate,” Joseph said. “I think we need to handle public safety and the justice system differently. The biggest change that I am going to make is how the office is organized. Teams of prosecutors need to be in community and working hand-in-hand with police and community agencies, community organizations, the schools, nonprofits, mental health, we need to be a seat at the table and all of us need to be rowing in the same boat. I am committed to prosecuting crime, I am committed to not ignoring crime and I am committed to finding alternative solutions and pathways for people who are really struggling. When I talk about not ignoring crime, we’ve got to handle it. But what we’ve learned is that prison doesn’t work for everybody; prison isn’t the only option we need to do better. And the work I get to do now looks at models across the country. Where are local municipalities making change? That’s where I’ve been able to learn about how we use our court system and move people into treatment.”

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Both candidates are touting their experience as reasons for voters to support them.

“I actually have the experience of running a large prosecution office successfully, not just internally but with respect to the community and to other government agencies and to the state,” Walsh said pointing to his experience as U.S. Attorney. “I was the top federal prosecutor for the state and was in that position for essentially [President Obama’s] entire administration. The reason I focus on that is because it’s a very specific job running a big prosecution office and to be successful at it, you have to be able to collaborate with a whole range of folks: people actually in the community, other government agencies, the state government, the federal government, those are things I’ve all done and done with success.”

“I understand he’s held a federal position and that isn’t this job. This job involves managing teams at a local level, involved in local government and that’s the work I’ve been doing: at the local level in Colorado. Managing teams and working in the District Attorney’s Office which is a unique set of laws and working at the state level- not in the D.C. federal system,” Joseph said.

Regardless of their differences in backgrounds and where they stand on policy, both candidates are encouraging voters to get those ballots in as soon as possible before polls close Tuesday night.

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