August 18, 2023

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Laws are for The Little People, Polis Changes Tune on Preschool, Proposition HH Updates, and More!


Here are some of the stories we are following this week. Connect with us on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram for up-to-the-minute news. 


  • A Colorado judge denied a motion by the state of Colorado to dismiss a lawsuit against the slew of “transportation fees” forced on us in 2021. These “fees”, which are in reality taxes named “fees” to get around TABOR, will mean $5 billion in play money for the state. Yes, we have to sue to get our own government to quit stealing from us. And, they sue us back.


  • Were you able to attend Mayor Mobolade’s August 11 District 5 listening session? If not, we’ve recorded it for you.


  • Will a band-new police academy fix all of the problems with CSPD staffing? We're not betting on it.


  • This week in “Laws are for the Little People”, it’s a law in Colorado that judges must file periodic financial disclosures to keep them honest. Some judges haven’t met this legal requirement for years. 


  • Remember Governor Polis’ “Free Preschool for All” effort? Turns out, “all” was just as truthful as the “free” part. Governor Polis is now accusing some parents of simply attempting to use this program as childcare. So much for the governor’s lofty promises.


  • The Olympic Museum in Colorado Springs has seen visits decline, so they are discounting admission fees in September. They say they are turning a profit, but past investigations tell us it's only because you are being forced to pitch in to keep them afloat.


  • Thousands of students are eligible for taxpayer funded lunches for the upcoming school year. These lunches are being advertised as free, but as usual, “free” means “taxpayer funded”. 


  • Denver has the honor of having the absolute worst inflation rate of all cities in the United States of America. Remember when Colorado used to be known for things we could be proud of?


  • Many people are asking tough questions about the massive data breach at the Colorado Department of Higher Education. Why doesn’t state government take cyber-security more seriously? Will they take a “never let a crisis go to waste” approach and use this data breach as an excuse to ask for even more money for cyber-security?


  • Regulators love regulating. Now, unelected regulators are planning to enact energy performance standards for large buildings in Colorado, under the guise of “protecting the climate”. 


  • Here’s a list of all the psychedelic drugs that have now been decriminalized in Colorado. What’s your guess, does this go somewhere good, or somewhere bad?


  • You may have heard that Colorado is experiencing a huge crime wave, brought on in large part by soft on crime policies from the legislature. One local advocacy group, Advance Colorado, is pursuing a potential ballot initiative to make violent criminals serve more of their sentences before being paroled.


  • The Colorado ballot initiative guide, or Blue Book as it is commonly called, will be sent out prior to the November election. Will the Proposition HH ballot language be accurate, or deceptive? 



  • Oops. Colorado Springs Utilities admits they failed to adequately communicate just how big a replacement water storage tank would be in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood. Proper communication to the people they serve should be a higher priority, we think.


  • El Paso County has finalized their commissioner district map. Some people are still not happy.


  • Drug-addled vagrants have taken over Boulder Park, next to Memorial Hospital. Neighbors are justifiably upset.


  • Colorado Springs gas prices have been on the rise of late, and have now reached $4 per gallon. Are you driving less because of this?


  • 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. 


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 21, 10:00 a.m.

Colorado Springs City Council Work Session

107 N. Nevada, 3rd floor

Live stream link here

Agenda


Tuesday, August 22, 10:00 a.m.

Colorado Springs City Council

107 N. Nevada, 3rd floor

Live stream link here

Agenda


El Paso County Board of County Commissioner Meetings


Tuesday, August 22, 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, August 29, 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


No meetings currently posted


Miscellaneous Meetings of Interest


Friday, August 18, 5:30 p.m.

Mayor Mobolade Listening Tour – City Council District 3

Hillside Community Center

925 S. Institute Street

Information and Agenda


Friday, August 25, 5:30 p.m.

Mayor Mobolade Listening Tour – City Council District 2

2070 Interquest Parkway

925 S. Institute Street

Information and Agenda


Tuesday, August 22, 6:30 p.m.

Living with Wildfire Townhall for Bear Creek, Broadmoor Bluffs, Broadmoor Hills, Broadmoor Oaks, Ivywild, Lower Skyway, Midland, Old Broadmoor, Quail Lake, Upper Skyway

Broadmoor Community Church

315 Lake Avenue

Agenda   


Thursday, August 24, 6:30 p.m.

Independence Institute Local Government Training Workshop

Online Meeting

Information and Agenda


Saturday, August 26

Proposition HH Townhall with Representative Rose Pugliese

Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce Community Room

166 2nd Street, Monument, CO

Agenda not yet posted



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 You Tube 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 tri-pod 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 Mayors 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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