|
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.
- This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Armi and Joni Hall. Thank you to the Halls for supporting our mission. We appreciate it!
-
The Colorado State Senate killed a bill that would have forced the Colorado Department of Education to keep a list of school personnel who have violated policies against sexual contact with students. Currently, a school staff member can be removed from one school for preying on a child, and simply start working at another school because of inadequate tracking. Why would they kill this bill?
-
This week in government fraud, Colorado has spent $78 million on improper Medicaid payments for autism services. When you add this to the millions spent on fraudulent Medicaid transportation billing services, and even the $70 million in unemployment fraud during COVID, a clear pattern emerges.
-
More important things are on the legislative agenda. Like this bill, which would establish legal parameters regarding who gets shared pets when a divorce or breakup happens. Things like this have been worked out by separating couples forever, but what do we know?
-
The legislature is considering a bill that would allow Colorado Springs Utilities to keep the Ray Nixon coal power plant open. It’s doubtful that this will succeed, given the hatred for coal in the legislature. If it does not get passed, Utilities CEO Travas Deal says he will fight for the plant to remain open.
-
Governor Polis is already looking to your TABOR refund to keep the irresponsible and unsustainable spending going in the Colorado state government. They create programs they don’t have the money to support, and then come to you for more.
-
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who is running for Attorney General of Colorado, has made a fool of herself again this week. She is claiming that she has argued a case before the United States Supreme Court, and this makes her a great attorney general candidate. This never happened. She never argued before the Supreme Court. She has a rich and plentiful record of failure.
-
Rural lawmakers in the Colorado legislature have rejected a Polis-backed mandate that would restrict the kinds of seeds they use. The proposed mandate would have forced Colorado farmers to jump through bureaucratic hoops in order to use these seeds, which are common in farming, and are coated with a certain pesticide that Polis doesn’t like.
-
Restaurants in Denver are not prospering. Many are simply trying to stay in business. Some restaurants are laying off personnel, yet still paying out just as much in payroll due to Denver’s $19.29 minimum wage. One employment sector in Denver that is not struggling is the government sector. Many government employees are even getting salary increases.
-
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has signed an executive order that bans immigration enforcement officers from conducting lawful immigration enforcement in Denver city buildings. This order also contains measures to protect protesters. Mayor Johnston expects Denver police officers to detain and remove any ICE officer who violates this executive order. Let’s see how well this goes for him.
-
The Denver City Council has voted to ban ICE officers from wearing masks when they are working in Denver. The Department of Homeland Security states that this is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced. Time and again, the Denver government shows citizens that they are not a priority. Illegal aliens are.
-
Denver Public Schools (DPS) is being sued by a group of parents. This suit alleges that DPS is defrauding taxpayers by creating a nonprofit that takes out mortgages on DPS school buildings and then leases them back to the district. DPS then goes to the taxpayer for more and more money, even though its student enrollment continues to decline.
-
The City of Colorado Springs is unveiling a new website that allows people to report concerning behavior they see from vagrants in Downtown Colorado Springs. This website is only for the downtown area and is part of the new Clean and Safe Downtown effort. What about the rest of the city?
-
Colorado Springs Utilities will pay $5.35 million in ratepayer funds to settle a lawsuit from a company CSU hired to work on its unnecessary fiber optic network. It’s easy to build things that aren’t necessary when others cover your costs.
-
Also in CSU news this week, most customers have been transitioned to the new Energy Wise Rates. Using energy between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on weekdays will now cost more.
-
Homeowners in Teller County are struggling with new wildfire mitigation efforts they are required to perform to keep their homeowner’s insurance. Some are dealing with mitigation costs as high as tens of thousands of dollars.
-
The Law Enforcement Transparency and Advisory Commission in Colorado Springs may be disbanded. A recommendation for dissolution has been advanced by the city council, and the final vote will take place at a future meeting.
-
Some out-of-state activists are attempting to get Colorado to ban the sale of animal fur. You may recall that this same group tried this in 2025, and it failed. Now, they are back. Colorado is fertile ground for activist groups from around the country.
-
The El Paso County Commissioners gave a quarterly update on their sales and use tax collections.
-
Last week, Falcon School District 49 laid off teachers and other staff, citing a critical lack of funding. This week, district administrators, who apparently failed math, admitted they had been overpaid $2.6 million by the state and had to pay a portion of those funds back. As far as we know, the administrators who made the accounting mistake kept their jobs.
-
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.
-
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, March 9, 9:00 a.m.
Colorado Springs City Council Work Session
107 N. Nevada, 3rd floor
Live stream link here
Agenda
Tuesday, March 10, 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, March 10, 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, March 17, 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, March 18, 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, March 27, 9:00 a.m.
Front Range Passenger Rail Board of Directors Meeting
Online Meeting - Registration Required
Information and Agenda
Monday, April 6, 6:00 p.m.
Law Enforcement Transparency and Advisory Committee
City Hall
107 S. Nevada Avenue, Suite 200
Also, online via Microsoft Teams
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 social media at their Facebook Page and on Twitter.
Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Since most of the City and County board and commission meetings are not televised or recorded, we are trying to remedy that. We now have a camera and a 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
| 
