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Here are some of the stories we are following this week. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for up-to-the-minute news.
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The new law regarding intentionally or accidentally feeding bears just kicked in. If a bear finds something to eat in your yard, you could pay a hefty fine.
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Also in bear news this week, a vagrant was attacked by a bear while sleeping in a park in Aspen. The bear was located and euthanized. The vagrant was treated at the hospital at the taxpayers' expense.
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The City of Denver has found a creative new way to use the vagrant population for more revenue. They plan to sue cigarette makers for the city’s cleanup costs for cigarette butts. We suspect a significant amount of this trash comes from those living on the streets, with the full support of Denver government. Never let a crisis go to waste, folks.
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Denver is targeting tobacco companies for this shakedown because those companies have money and have been successfully sued by governments before. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston pretends to be concerned about urban blight, but he ignores larger blight issues, such as trash, filth, and used drug needles from taxpayer-funded drug addicts.
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MedRide, the medical transportation company that provides transportation for Medicaid patients, is scaling back services for some patients. The company cites financial issues with the state as the reason for this adjustment. You may recall federal investigators recently uncovered potential fraud with Medicaid transportation services in Colorado.
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Do you know how to spell “California”? Well, the folks who produce and install street signs for the City of Denver do not. This would be funny if it wasn’t so pitiful.
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Could Waymo robotaxis help Denver be less awful? We will soon find out, as a program to provide Waymo services will kick off later this year. How quickly will these taxis become mobile drug dens?
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The minimum wage in Denver is set to be increased to $19.84 per hour next January 1. Do you think even more businesses will close as a result of this arbitrary price floor for entry-level labor? As always, regardless of any law, the real minimum wage is always zero.
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Edgewater, Colorado, will also increase its minimum wage in 2027. What are the downstream impacts of minimum wage laws? Do these laws help or hurt lower-wage employees?
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Denver Public Schools will be asking taxpayers for more money. The district board voted to advance a ballot measure that would take an additional $44 million from district taxpayers.
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One thing Denver Public Schools has plenty of taxpayer money for is electric school buses. A total of 25 new buses will be added to the current fleet, at the cost of $400,000 each. As always, the batteries in these buses will be charged with electricity generated by burning fossil fuels.
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A recent report shows that Colorado students, on average, are below proficiency standards in many areas. Schools fail to educate students, yet continue to ask for millions from taxpayers. What is being accomplished with all this taxpayer money?
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The Colorado Office of the State Auditor reports that three larger Colorado school districts are currently in fiscal trouble. Cherry Creek School District, Colorado Springs District 11, and Poudre School District have all been flagged as districts with fiscal issues.
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One Colorado lawmaker is cashing in while also pushing for a progressive state income tax. Representative Lorena Garcia, one of the most radical House legislators, runs a taxpayer-funded nonprofit that helped to secure enough signatures for this tax measure to get on the ballot. They steal your money in order to steal more of your money. Do you feel represented or besieged?
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Many special interest groups find it easier to gather signatures and push a ballot measure to voters to get what they want rather than working through the legislature. It can cost millions to gather enough signatures for a ballot measure, and this tends to favor monied special interests, many of which get their money from taxpayers.
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The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission is being sued for open meetings law violations. Why do people have to sue Colorado government agencies to make them follow the law?
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Some Colorado hunters are pushing back on the recent arbitrary bag limit change for furbearers in the state. These hunters believe they were not given sufficient opportunity to provide public comment about this change, which was forced on them by Jared Polis’ radical, anti-hunting wildlife commission appointees.
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Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade gave a press conference late last week where he discussed his revamped plan for public vagrancy. We attended and recorded this for you.
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Mayor Mobolade has released a set of standards for data centers built in the city. City Council will review these standards and also hold a special meeting on Project Taurus on September 17.
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Colorado Springs Utilities has published its so-called sustainable energy plan for the city. You can view this plan here.
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The rental market for Colorado Springs has reversed course. Now, there are more rental properties than people looking to rent. This is putting downward pressure on rent prices.
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The Pueblo Police Department is asking for $900,000 to expand A.I. cameras to catch more speeders, and thus generate more revenue. If they want almost $1 million, we can predict they expect to rake in far more than this from these speed cameras.
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The Police Chief for Calhan, Colorado, announced that a Flock camera that was installed in Calhan is now gone and will not return.
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Several Front Range law enforcement agencies are planning a crackdown on improperly registered vehicles. This effort is planned for the week of August 23rd. The Colorado Springs Police Department will take part in this effort.
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If you would like to help support us in our mission as government watchdogs by becoming a Newsletter Sponsor, we are offering two sponsorships for each weekly newsletter, at the nominal cost of $100 each. Funds raised from these sponsorship opportunities will help us to keep looking out for taxpayers.
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You can also support Springs Taxpayers United when you shop. Springs Taxpayers United is now enrolled with the King Soopers Community Rewards Program. You can link your SooperCard to us by logging into your account and designating Springs Taxpayers United (SW470) as the recipient of the community reward for your King Soopers card. Thanks for your support!
Here are some upcoming meetings in the area. We hope you can attend one or more! If there are other public meetings you’d like to see announced here, please drop us a line. We are happy to include them in an upcoming newsletter. These might be government-related, candidate, or elected official meetings. Thanks!
Colorado Springs City Council Meetings
Monday, August 24, 9:00 a.m.
Colorado Springs City Council Work Session
107 N. Nevada, 3rd floor
Live stream link here
Agenda
Tuesday, August 25, 9:00 a.m.
Colorado Springs City Council
107 N. Nevada, 3rd floor
Live stream link here
Agenda
El Paso County Board of County Commissioners Meetings
Tuesday, August 25, 9:00 a.m.
El Paso County Board of County Commissioners
Centennial Hall
200 S. Cascade
Live stream link here
Agenda not yet posted
Tuesday, September 1, 9:00 a.m.
El Paso County Board of County Commissioners
Centennial Hall
200 S. Cascade
Live stream link here
Agenda not yet posted
Colorado Springs Utilities Board of Directors
Wednesday, September 16, 1:00 p.m.
Utilities Board of Directors
Blue River Board Room
Plaza of the Rockies, South Tower, 5th Floor
Live stream link here
Agenda not yet posted
Miscellaneous Meetings of Interest
Friday, August 28, 9:00 a.m.
Front Range Passenger Rail Board of Directors Meeting
Online Meeting - Registration Required
Information and Agenda
View the full Colorado Springs City Council meeting schedule here to see upcoming meetings.
View the full Board of El Paso County Commissioners meeting schedule here to see upcoming meetings.
View the full Colorado Springs Utilities Board meeting schedule here to see upcoming meetings. Please also follow CSU on their Facebook Page and on Twitter.
Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Since most City and County board and commission meetings are not televised or recorded, we are working to remedy this. We now have a camera and tripod for volunteers to check out for future meetings.
If you have a tip about a story in the Pikes Peak region that you aren’t seeing reported, let us know. We will see what we can find out.
How to Contact City and County Officials:
City Hall
107 N. Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 385-5986
Contact City Council
Mayor's Office
30 S Nevada Avenue, Suite 601
Colorado Springs, CO 80901
(719) 385-5900
Contact the Mayor's Office
County Commissioners
200 South Cascade Avenue, Suite 100
Colorado Springs, CO 80903-2202
Phone: (719) 520-7276
https://www.elpasoco.com/contact-us/
Thank you!
Rebecca
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