Denver, CO

Opinion: Polis’ property tax fix is a bad deal for Colorado taxpayers

Published

2 months ago

May 11, 2024

Opinion: Polis’ property tax fix is a bad deal for Colorado taxpayers

Colorado is still facing a property tax crisis of historic proportions.

Runaway growth in property values caused by a lack of housing supply, growing demand from population increases, and 20-years’ worth of cheap money policy from the Federal Reserve have caused a perfect storm of escalating home values. As home assessed values grow so do taxes triggering property tax increases in all corners of our state.

Just how significant is this year’s property tax increase? An economist at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business warned that new property tax costs to homeowners could impact consumer spending and cause an economic slowdown.

For the fourth time in as many years, the Colorado legislature has enacted a complicated new law intended to address this problem.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that these Golden Dome political compromises have continued to miss the mark.

Last year, the legislature’s grand agreement on property tax was Proposition HH, a slick-sounding plan that repackaged refunds already owed to taxpayers and called them property tax relief. At the same time, the plan grabbed an even larger sum of taxpayer refunds to spend on public education. While clever, the plan didn’t stand up to scrutiny — there was no real tax relief in it — and the voters defeated HH in a landslide.

This year, the legislature is back with a different inside-the-Capitol deal. While it is better than Proposition HH, and we credit those who fought to get some property tax relief on the business side, the package is still a woefully inadequate response for homeowners being crushed by soaring property taxes.

Rather than materially reducing taxes that homeowners pay, this year’s version of a grand bargain actually increases the total effective property tax rate from 6.3% this year to 6.8%. For the property taxes paid to our schools, the legislature’s agreement would increase the property tax rate even more — to 7.1%.

As with Proposition HH last year, this year’s agreement is a blatant attempt to dress-up an education tax increase in the clothes of property tax relief. It’s insincere. If the legislature wants to increase taxes for our schools, all it must do is ask the voters. To come back with a different variation of the same ploy that voters rejected less than one year ago is equal parts disappointing and disingenuous.

This is only the beginning of the problems with the property tax agreement.

The agreement purports to put a cap on property tax collections at 5.5%. The problem is that the limit wouldn’t apply to local government borrowing or debt, it wouldn’t apply to many (and maybe even most) districts who have already raised their property tax limits, and it would do little to slow the surging increases caused by growing home values.

Here again, it looks like the legislature is trying to snooker the public into believing they implemented a 5.5% cap when what they really enacted was a property tax cap riddled with loopholes and exceptions.

Other concerns with the legislative deal are many — notably, the deal takes us down the road of taxing homes worth more than $700,000 as if they were mansions owned by millionaires. In many parts of the state, a $700,000 home is below the median cost.

One good aspect of the agreement is that it would reduce the state’s commercial property taxes, a badly needed step after the Gallagher Amendment punished businesses with higher property taxes for decades. But even this raises a question: Why would the legislature address the impacts of soaring property taxes for businesses but ignore those same impacts on everyday homeowners?

For all these reasons, we are enthusiastic supporters of ballot measures that would legitimately reduce property taxes and in a way that balances the legitimate needs of state and local governments. The business community has stuck to its guns in demanding sensible property tax relief, and the voters will get the chance to deliver that this November.

Some interest groups claim that the modest property tax cuts in the ballot measures would cause budget calamity. This is not true. Reducing the rate of growth in state and local budgets is not a cut, a fact that savvy Colorado voters will recognize immediately.

What’s more, these ballot measures actually prevent state government from cutting public education, and the initiatives would require the state of Colorado to fund local services like firefighters, water, and local social safety net programs funded by property taxes.

The truth is, we can implement meaningful property tax relief and fund the government services the public needs.

Tim Foster, an attorney at Coleman & Quigley, is the former President of Colorado Mesa University and Director of Colorado Department of Higher Education. He also served as the Majority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives. Jan Kulmann, a Professional Engineer, is in her second term as the Mayor of Thornton. She also serves as vice chair of the Rocky Flats Stewardship Council and is a member of the North I-25 Coalition.

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Denver, CO

Denver Nuggets very active on day 2 of the NBA Draft

Published

2 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Denver Nuggets very active on day 2 of the NBA Draft

The Nuggets did not have a pick in the 2^nd round of the NBA draft on Thursday, after trading the pick to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday so they could draft DaRon Holmes in the 1^st round.

But that didn’t stop the Nuggets from making headlines.

They traded backup point guard Reggie Jackson and three future second-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets in return for cash considerations.

The move saves the Nuggets about $5.25 million dollars against the salary cap and gives them some financial freedom moving into free agency on Sunday.

Jackson, the Colorado native, played in every game last season averaging just over 10 points a game.

The Nuggets also signed two undrafted free agents on Thursday. Creighton’s Trey Alexander and Clemson’s PJ Hall received two-way contracts. Hall averaged 18.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game for the Tigers last season. Alexander led Creighton with 17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

Denver Nuggets

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Also, Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made it official on Thursday. He is declining his $15.4 million player contract option for next season and will test the free agent waters. The Nuggets will make an offer to keep their starting guard, but he is expected to get numerous offers on the open market and it may be financially impossible for the Nuggets to match. General Manager Calvin Booth told us on Wednesday that the team is ready for whatever happens.

“We can try to bring him back, and if he doesn’t want to come back or opts to go somewhere else, that’s his prerogative,” said Booth. “But I think we’re prepared to plug and play, so to speak. I think if Christian Braun has to step into the starting lineup, I think we’ll be OK, if KCP doesn’t return.”

The Nuggets are also working on a new max contract extension for starting guard Jamal Murray. The new deal will be for 4 years and $209 million dollars. Murray is expected to sign the deal. He and Nikola Jokic are the two most important pieces of the Nuggets championship puzzle.

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Denver, CO

It's a bird, it's a plane — it's a rare aircraft designed specifically for bulky loads

Published

9 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

It's a bird, it's a plane — it's a rare aircraft designed specifically for bulky loads

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver International Airport visitors might have seen a big surprise on one of the airport’s runways Tuesday as one of the world’s largest aircrafts touched down.

There are only 26 Antonov An-124 Ruslan planes in commercial service across the globe. One of them had a job that led it from Milan, Italy, to Goose Bay, Canada, to finally Denver International Airport in the span of a day, according to FlightAware.

According to DIA, the plane’s special load was a helicopter, which fits easily inside the massive plane. The four-engine plane has a cargo compartment that’s 20% larger than the main cargo compartment of the C-5 Galaxy, which is a large military transport plane that can carry “a payload of … up to five helicopters,” according to the manufacturer.

This particular plane model was designed in the early 1980s, according to Antonov, a Ukrainian company that manufactures the planes. The An-124 Ruslan was originally designed as a Soviet heavy strategic military transport craft, capable of carrying up to 150 tons of cargo.

Denver International Airport shared these photos of an Antonov 124 Ruslan plane that touched down on Tuesday, June 25, in Denver.
Denver International Airport shared these photos of an Antonov 124 Ruslan plane that touched down on Tuesday, June 25, in Denver.
Denver International Airport shared these photos of an Antonov 124 Ruslan plane that touched down on Tuesday, June 25, in Denver.

The plane type then transitioned into the commercial transportation market, which is how it’s used today. As seen in the photos, the aircraft’s noses can be raised to accommodate large, inflexible loads, such as military vehicles or helicopters, as was this case. According to the aircraft manufacturer, the plane also has a “kneeling” function to allow for easier loading.

While details on where the plane is headed are unknown, aviation geeks were quick to point out the massive bird at DIA on Tuesday.

Notably, the plane type has been used to set approximately 30 world records, according to Antonov. These include an absolute payload-to-altitude record and a world record for distance flown without refueling.

The plane’s surprise appearance at DIA was noted by many aviation experts, so keep an eye out if you’re headed to the airport for July 4 or any other trip — You never know what you might see on the runway.

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Denver, CO

For the first time, young people in Denver city court will get public defenders

Published

16 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

For the first time, young people in Denver city court will get public defenders

DENVER (KDVR) — Public defenders ensure that anyone facing charges in the U.S. can get legal representation. But in Colorado’s municipal courts, children who want to defend their cases must hire a private lawyer — or even represent themselves.

That changes in Denver on July 1. A new city ordinance will provide free public defenders for young people in the municipal court system, making Denver the first in the state to do so.

“By providing holistic representation, we are dedicated to working closely with our clients, their families, schools, and local youth organizations to once and for all break the school to prison pipeline and allow for powerful self-autonomy,” Colette Tvedt, chief municipal public defender, said in a release announcing the change.

Cases before municipal court could be something like a ticket for fighting, trespassing or allegations from school — low-level cases that do not reach a level to be prosecuted by the state.

Historically, the defender’s office said any young person facing a charge in municipal court would meet with the prosecutor and a diversion officer to discuss how to resolve the case, whether through a plea deal, diversion or a trial. But neither could give the youth legal advice nor could the judge.

“If a young person wanted to challenge their case, and take it to trial, they either had to represent themselves or their parents would need to hire private counsel,” the release reads.

Denver council changes public defense law for youth

Part of the reason young people in Denver municipal court were not afforded legal counsel before is they did not face jail or removal from their homes because of the case, according to the defender’s office, which argues that any involvement in the criminal legal system can have lasting effects, nonetheless.

“The harm any court contact or law enforcement contact a young person has can ripple into the rest of their lives, especially the way they see themselves. The goal here is to remind them that they have a voice, they have a say, and they matter,” the release reads.

Denver City Council passed the bill 12-0 in December, with at-large Council Member Sarah Parady absent. Paul Kashmann and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez sponsored the bill.

The Office of the Municipal Public Defender has said it expects an extra 50 cases each month once the change goes into effect. The office will also offer a youth peer support specialist to help navigate the process.

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