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

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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

How much are Denver Broncos worth after Seahawks’ reported $9.6 billion sale?

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How much are Denver Broncos worth after Seahawks’ reported .6 billion sale?


Imagine, for a moment, that you have somehow become lucky enough to own a house in an incredibly valuable, isolated neighborhood of 31 other homes. Imagine, now, that your longtime neighbors see shifting life circumstances and decide to move out of their home. And imagine, finally, that a new family gets giddy over that “For Sale” sign and decides to repeatedly outbid competitors to pay top dollar for that house.

Naturally, the value of your neighboring home would rise. This, according to sports-business expert Patrick Rishe, is analogous to the current economic case of the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks — separated by slightly over 1,000 miles across the American West but approximate neighbors in sheer franchise value.

“When a franchise sells, it really kind of resets the market almost instantly for all the other markets,” said Rishe, a former Forbes contributor and the director of the sports business program at Washington University in St. Louis.

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III holds the Lombardi trophy after the Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

How Seahawks’ sale boosts Broncos

Last weekend, as first reported by ESPN, the Seahawks were bought by a group led by venture capitalist Vinod Khosla for a league-record-setting $9.6 billion, a number longtime sports-valuation expert Drew Dormeiler told The Post was likely inflated due to “competitive bidding.” Just four years ago, the Walton-Penner ownership group bought the Broncos at less than half that price, for a then-record $4.65 billion. Valuation of an NFL franchise isn’t merely as simple as projecting off established price points — but several economic experts The Post spoke with agreed the Walton-Penner’s investment in the Broncos has seen massive appreciation since their 2022 purchase.

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And Denver’s franchise valuation could rise comfortably into the top third of the NFL, too, if ownership’s plans for a new mixed-use stadium district at Burnham Yard come to fruition in the coming decade.

“The math on that is, what something is worth is what someone’s willing to pay,” Rishe said. “And the Broncos aren’t going to go on the market anytime soon, obviously. But I would say that it’s safe to say that the team’s new franchise value at this particular moment, is going to be pretty close to 9.6 billion, because they were viewed in the marketplace as being comparable in terms of market size and brand strength relative to the Seahawks.”

In 2025, Forbes ranked the Broncos No. 13 and Seahawks No. 14 in NFL team valuations, at a respective estimated $6.8 and $6.7 billion. Neighbors. And it takes just a basic understanding of real-estate principles, as Rishe pointed, to understand what that means for Denver’s franchise.

“For the Seahawks to sell for 9.6 billion,” Rishe said, “this immediately skyrockets the Broncos’ franchise value compared to the estimate Forbes produced last year.”

Year NFL franchise Majority owner Reported purchase price (billions)
2026 Seattle Seahawks The Khoslas $9.61
2023 Washington Commanders Josh Harris $6.05
2022 Denver Broncos Walton-Penner Group $4.65
2018 Carolina Panthers David Tepper $2.28
2014 Buffalo Bills The Pegulas $1.40
2012 Cleveland Browns Jimmy Haslam $1.05
2011 Jacksonville Jaguars Shad Khan $0.76

In the last 15 years — since Stan Kroenke became the controlling owner of the Rams in 2010 and Shad Khan took over the Jaguars in 2011 for similar, sub-$1 billion prices — NFL franchises have compounded exponentially in sale value. According to decorated economist Andrew Zimbalist, there are three general points contributing to this inflation: the country’s ever-widening wealth disparity, the popularity of the NFL, and the league’s monopoly on the sport of American football.

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Kalshi Promo Code DENVER: Secure $10 Bonus for Saturday MLB Games – Denver Stiffs

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Kalshi Promo Code DENVER: Secure  Bonus for Saturday MLB Games – Denver Stiffs


By claiming our exclusive Kalshi promo code DENVER, new players receive a $10 sign-up bonus after executing $10 in trades on the platform. Click here to get in on the action.


This welcome offer aligns perfectly with this weekend’s exciting MLB schedule, allowing users to leverage their bonus on marquee matchups like the Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the New York Yankees, the Detroit Tigers visiting the Los Angeles Angels, and the Washington Nationals facing the Oakland Athletics. Don’t miss out on the chance to take advantage of this Kalshi promo.

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Kalshi Promo Code DENVER Unlocks $10 Bonus

Kalshi Promo Code DENVER
New User Offer $10 sign-up bonus
Terms and Conditions 18+ and Present in the US
Bonus Last Verified On July 18, 2026

To take advantage of this straightforward offer, new Kalshi customers can register to secure a $10 sign-up bonus. This welcome promotion acts as an immediate boost as you navigate the platform’s MLB prediction markets.

To officially activate the promotion, eligible users must fund their account with a first-time deposit of at least $1. From there, the $10 bonus unlocks automatically after accumulating $10 in total trades. Kalshi operates across all 50 states, and users must be 18 or older to participate.

Saturday MLB Options

Matchup Probability
WSH @ ATH WSH 51% / ATH 49%
DET @ LAA DET 65% / LAA 35%
LAD @ NYY LAD 49% / NYY 51%

The premier market of the slate features a clash between the Los Angeles Dodgers (62-36) and the New York Yankees (54-43). The Dodgers step to the plate with a clear offensive advantage, bringing a robust .262 team batting average and a .777 OPS into the matchup, noticeably outpacing the Yankees’ .237 average and .740 OPS. However, New York counters on the mound with a 3.38 team ERA compared to Los Angeles’s 3.56 ERA. The Dodgers maintain a slight edge in WHIP (1.139 vs. 1.186), providing mathematical evidence for why prediction markets treat this heavyweight matchup as a virtual coin flip.

It’s also worth noting that players can look ahead to the World Cup final on Sunday. Spain and Argentina will battle it out after two dominant runs through the knockout stage. Kalshi will have a wide range of options available for soccer fans.

How to Redeem Kalshi Promo Code DENVER

Unlocking this welcome offer requires a simple, highly structured process. To ensure your sign-up bonus is credited seamlessly before the first pitch, follow these exact steps:

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  1. Create an Account: Register by providing standard personal information, including your full name, date of birth, and email address.
  2. Verify Your Identity: Submit the necessary proof of identification to securely verify your new Kalshi profile.
  3. Enter the Promo Code: Input the Kalshi promo code DENVER when prompted during registration to link the welcome offer to your account.
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  5. Start Trading: Execute $10 worth of trades across Kalshi’s prediction markets.

Keep in mind that you are not required to make a single, lump-sum trade of $10 to qualify. As long as your cumulative trades reach the $10 threshold, the $10 sign-up bonus will be triggered and added to your account balance.



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Former strip club owner selling Castle Pines mansion for $8M

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Former strip club owner selling Castle Pines mansion for M


Troy Lowrie, the Denver entrepreneur who built and then sold a portfolio of strip clubs across six states, is selling his Castle Pines mansion because he says the house deserves an owner who will be there full time.

Lowrie and his wife, Tenicia, are asking $7.8 million for the 11,147-square-foot home, which overlooks the 12th hole of Castle Pines Golf Club. The couple bought the property in 2022 for $6.3 million after selling their longtime Golden mansion for $6.4 million.

Jerome and Mary Kern built the home in 2008. Jerome Kern, who died in 2024, was a telecommunications attorney and philanthropist widely credited with rescuing the Colorado Symphony from bankruptcy in 2011.

The five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home was designed by BOSS Architecture and Semple Brown Design and named Home of the Year by Colorado Homes & Lifestyles magazine in 2012. It has a Castle Rock address because it’s in an incorporated part of Douglas County, just outside Castle Pines limits.

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The Lowries weren’t in the market when they stumbled on it.

“We had already bought land in Sedalia and were planning to build,” Troy Lowrie said.

But then they walked through Albion Place. “It’s impossible to build something like this now. The concrete alone would cost at least $3 million,” he said.

Lowrie said the grounds hooked him, especially the year-round heated pools, the glass-walled garden studio and tea house, the koi pond with cascading waterfalls, fire features, and mature 250-foot pine trees on the 1.11-acre lot.

“You feel like you’re in the mountains,” he said.

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The home blends centuries-old materials with a modern aesthetic. A 16th-century granite fireplace mantel anchors one room; a 17th-century marble mantel anchors another. Walls of glass throughout dissolve the boundary between inside and out, and a dramatic gallery-style entry opens to soaring ceilings.

After moving in, the Lowries put their own stamp on the home.



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