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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 legislative special session is winding down, and, as expected, they see picking your pocket as the remedy for their overspending problem. Expect increased taxes on businesses to come from this session, with costs being passed on to consumers. We in Colorado are well on our way to becoming the next California.
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In all, 11 bills were passed during the special session. Many of them will cost you and other citizens more, and will grow government.
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One thing the legislature did accomplish was handing vast power to Governor Polis to find cuts in government spending. Typically, this is the job of members of the legislature, but they’ve handed this power to Polis.
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The bill that would allow the Colorado government to regulate artificial intelligence failed to pass in the special session. Expect this bill to be introduced again during the next regular session.
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One bill that passed easily will force Colorado taxpayers to pay Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood. This will replace federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which was canceled in July. Do you think all Colorado taxpayers should be forced to fund abortions, and, in turn, donations to Colorado democrats from Planned Parenthood?
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Sometimes, when your car is stolen in Colorado, that’s just the beginning of your problems. Fentanyl or meth contamination, and extreme damage, can compound the cost and frustration of having your stolen vehicle returned.
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Remember when Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said car thieves should only be arrested after they have stolen 3 or 4 cars in a three-month period? Weiser also wants to be governor. Pro-criminal politicians like Weiser and Polis are rewarding criminals at the expense of law-abiding citizens.
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The Governor’s medical insurance program is failing again. Two major insurers are pulling out of the program, impacting nearly 100,000 customers. This failure is being blamed on Congress not renewing tax credits, not on Polis and the legislature hyper-regulating insurers, as well as adding illegal immigrants to this medical insurance program.
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The Palmer Lake Planning Commission has moved the vote on the Buc-ee’s annexation proposal to September 3.
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The Place, which recently built an affordable housing apartment complex for homeless youth on 19th street, is closing its 24/7 youth shelter because of funding challenges. This closure is temporary.
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One home developer in Colorado Springs is attempting to use eminent domain to acquire two parcels of land near a proposed development. According to the developer, this land is needed to build a road to their proposed development. This eminent domain request is raising some eyebrows on the Colorado Springs City Council.
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Federal pressure is increasing on the Polis administration due to Colorado’s sanctuary state status. Polis continues to insist that Colorado is not a sanctuary state, but apparently, he is the only one who believes this. The federal government sees this differently.
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Meanwhile, a recent count in Colorado shows the illegal immigrant population increased by 40,000 from 2019 to 2023. Clearly, our sanctuary status is a huge lure for illegal immigrants.
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Immigration authorities apprehended a dangerous Guatemalan immigrant in Colorado Springs. Some people are upset that the officers had to break the window out of the car to apprehend this offender, while a child was inside.
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As we’ve been seeing in Colorado, leftist policies simply do not work. From roads to law enforcement to immigration, they only work for the politicians and never work for the citizens who pay the bills.
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Colorado is getting sued again for another dumb law. This time, it’s the law mandating warning signs on social media. You, the taxpayer, will be paying to field all these lawsuits over the legislature’s ridiculous, self-indulgent laws, so it’s win-win for them.
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Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers attempted to kill a wolf that was destroying livestock. They shot at it, but aren’t sure if they actually killed it or not. The wolf reintroduction scheme appears to be a costly, labor-intensive, animal-abusing failure.
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Another Denver restaurant is being forced to close due to inflation and regulatory costs in Denver. Pandemic Donuts will close at the end of August.
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Because retail theft is such a problem in crime-friendly Colorado, a new policy is being rolled out at King Soopers grocery stores that will require you to show a receipt for your purchases before leaving the store. How do you feel about this?
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A newspaper in Estes Park has only been in business for 14 months. In that time, the paper has filed three open-government lawsuits in order to keep government accountable. Well done, Estes Valley Voice.
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A November ballot measure will ask voters to approve an additional $95 million in taxes to keep the school lunches for all program afloat. How would you vote on increasing taxes on high earners to continue funding this program?
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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, September 8, 9:00 a.m.
Colorado Springs City Council Work Session
107 N. Nevada, 3rd floor
Live stream link here
Agenda not yet posted
Tuesday, September 9, 9:00 a.m.
Colorado Springs City Council
107 N. Nevada, 3rd floor
Live stream link here
Agenda not yet posted
El Paso County Board of County Commissioners Meetings
Tuesday, September 2, 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 9, 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 17, 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
Monday, September 1, 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
Friday, September 26, 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 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
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