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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 election is over, and, for the most part, sanity prevailed. Prop HH, the attempt to hold property tax increases hostage to steal your TABOR refunds for life, was crushed at the ballot box. Now, Governor Polis must do his job, and call a special session of the legislature in order to address the coming property tax boom. Will he and his caucus act in good faith, or will they simply devise another scheme to attack citizens’ rights to have a say in their taxes? Time will tell.
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Voters in Colorado Springs also said “no” to Mayor Mobolade’s vague plan to build a new police academy. Perhaps the mayor, who maintains that public safety is his top priority, and the police chief, should address 911 response times and morale within the police force before asking for taxes for shiny new stuff.
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Speaking of the failed police academy efforts, we’d like to pat ourselves on the back a little. Your humble servants at Springs Taxpayers United generated an original article on the revenue coming into the city from red-light cameras. We were able to reach around 16,000 citizens with this article, and we like to think we had a part in showing how the city, really, has plenty of money and needs to work with what it has, like the rest of us. If you agree, please kick in a few bucks if you are able, and we’d like to thank you all for your support.
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Colorado Springs City Councilman Dave Donelson wrote an interesting opinion about the now-failed proposition for a Colorado Springs Police training academy. The mayor and police chief have no plan at all for building this police academy. They just know they want your money. Is this how you operate in your household? Clearly, voters saw through this.
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Over $200,000 was pumped into the campaign to take your TABOR refunds to build a police academy building in Colorado Springs. Some developers donated large sums to this. But don’t worry, developers here are flush with cash, and they’ll be back.
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A complete summary of all the election results around the state can be found here.
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El Paso County saw a 40% voter turnout. Several school board races, which likely inspired high voter turnout, are heading to recount.
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Voters in Fountain rejected the opportunity the join the PPRTA (Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority). We don’t blame them one bit.
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Mayor Mike Johnson is the proud mayor of a sanctuary city – the Toilet City of Denver in fact. When sanctuary cities, in their virtue and high morals, open the door to migrants, the migrants come. Then, the mayors gripe about the influx, and run to daddy federal government for money, stolen from people not yet born, to fund the “immigrant crisis”. It’s as if they are only pretending to be virtuous, right?
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Also in Denver Homeless Industrial Complex news this week, Mayor Johnston is abandoning his plans to develop a “homeless micro-community” in one Denver neighborhood. Residents of this neighborhood vehemently opposed the mayor’s plan, and he backed down. Good. Maybe he can build his homeless community in his own neighborhood.
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Vehicle theft in our region has risen 13.5% this year. CSPD has four detectives assigned to locate over 2,300 stolen vehicles. Again, over, two thousand three hundred stolen vehicles. A new police academy would not fix this.
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CSPD is now using an existing Vehicle Public Nuisance Ordinance to seize vehicles from people with repeated traffic violations. Do you agree with this tactic?
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A taxpayer-funded grant has been awarded to the Colorado Springs Traffic and Planning Department to address traffic safety, specifically reducing fatal crashes.
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Governor Jared Polis’ proposed 2024 budget would increase the education budget in the state by $564 million. How much of this money will end up in the classroom, rather than administrative offices?
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The El Paso County Board of Commissioners has agreed to delay a vote on a proposed transportation corridor in the northeast section of the county, citing a need for more public input.
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Have you received a letter about PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl) contamination in your water? Several neighborhoods in El Paso County are being warned of elevated levels of this contaminant in their drinking water.
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In Fremont County, Colorado, a District Attorney, who is accused of poor conduct and not doing her job, is being investigated, and taxpayers are paying for her legal defense. Neat.
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Organizations that assist people with winter utility bills are expecting to assist a record number of people this year. Inflation, coupled with the high cost of energy, are the drivers behind this.
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The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has issued over 35,000 fines to people who are swerving in and out of I-25 and C470 toll lanes that won’t become official toll lanes until January 1. Sounds like a money grab to us.
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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.
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, November 13, 10:00 a.m.
Colorado Springs City Council Work Session
107 N. Nevada, 3rd floor
Live stream link here
Agenda
Tuesday, November 14, 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, November 14, 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, November 30, 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, November 15, 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
Miscellaneous Meetings of Interest
Monday, November 20, 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 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 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 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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