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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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Remember the mystery telephone poll we reported on, which asked citizens about a ballot measure to retain TABOR refunds for a new police academy? This week, Colorado Springs City Councilman Dave Donelson asked for the results of the poll. We’d like to see these results too. The Chief of Staff for the city is being extremely cagey about this entire project.
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Governor Jared Polis is facing more backlash for his “universal free preschool program” that is neither universal, nor free. Multiple school districts and educational groups are suing over a variety of problems with the program.
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The Archdiocese of Denver is also suing over Polis’ universal preschool program. They are completely excluded from the program due to their religious beliefs. Is this program really about education, or something else?
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Many residents near Boulder Park are blaming Memorial Hospital for the increase in the population of vagrants in the park. Hospital officials are stating they cannot keep people, even people who are clearly mentally ill, without their consent or other legal action. Maybe the blame for this problem lies with the government agencies that turn a blind eye to it.
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Many businesses in downtown Denver are seeing a significant decline in customers due to the vagrancy problems directly in front of their businesses. As a reminder, the CEO of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless makes $404,540 per year. The top 15 executives at the Coalition make an average of $202,155 per year. Letting the problem fester and grow seems pretty lucrative for all the right people.
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Also in Denver Homeless Industrial Complex news this week, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston wants to spend $7 million of other people’s money for tiny homes for the homeless. He also wants them to be “equitably located.” Why do they continue to pretend that a lack of housing is the root of this problem?
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Governor Polis wants in on the fun too. His radical land use proposal died in the legislature, so now he’s issued a radical executive order as a “first step” toward “increased housing affordability and availability”, which basically translates to control and taxpayer subsidies. Government never increased the affordability of anything ever, so we predict nothing good will come of this. Just more regulations resulting in more negative consequences that call for more regulations. Forever.
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Denver taxpayers are also being saddled with “sanctuary city” costs. This virtuous pose on the part of elected officials has cost taxpayers $23 million since last December.
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A new group has formed in opposition to Proposition HH. They have an interesting, and rather direct, name: Proposition HH Sucks. They aren’t wrong. They also have a handy, facts-based pamphlet you can print out to educate your friends and neighbors. Prop HH is not about saving you money on property taxes, it’s about taking away your TABOR refunds. Forever. It’s essentially a permanent tax increase.
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The Colorado Supreme Court is refusing to look at the constitutionality of Prop HH prior to the November vote. The measure, as written, violates the single subject requirement for a ballot issue, and is also just a scheme to kill TABOR. Judges are just politicians with fancy robes.
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Your Colorado Secretary of State, Jena Griswold, is upset the Supreme Court overruled President Biden’s executive order that would force you to pay off her student loans. She lashed out on social media, like a spoiled, entitled child. One local leader started a GoFundMe…to send her to a class where she can learn to pay her own bills like an adult. We applaud this. She clearly needs personal responsibility training. This is your Secretary of State, folks!
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Growth in government jobs is lifting Colorado’s overall employment rate. Many private sector jobs are not growing, however.
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Are the confluence of rampant homelessness, rampant crime, combined with businesses and people fleeing, creating a “Doom Loop” in Colorado’s largest cities? Cities like Seattle and San Francisco are already in a Doom Loop, and we all know about Governor Polis’ fondness for California policies.
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The location for Mayor Mobolade’s August 25th listening session has changed. It will now be held at Liberty High School. See details at the link here and below in our Miscellaneous Meetings section.
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Were you able to attend Mayor Mobolade’s District 3 listening tour event? We were, and we recorded it for you.
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Colorado Springs City Council is seeking more funding for two additional fire stations.
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As expected, Colorado Springs City Council approved a ballot measure to ask voters to give up TABOR refunds for a new police academy. As a reminder, neither the mayor, nor the police chief know how much this academy will cost taxpayers.
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Residents in School District 49 may be voting on increased teacher pay.
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Also in public school news this week, School District 11 has reduced the number of schools on the “watch list” for poor student performance, but still has a long way to go.
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Some metro district managers are working hard to avoid being transparent about costs and debts being incurred, and ultimately paid for by taxpayers in these metro districts.
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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 11, 10:00 a.m.
Colorado Springs City Council Work Session
107 N. Nevada, 3rd floor
Live stream link here
Agenda not yet posted
Tuesday, September 12, 10:00 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 Commissioner Meetings
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
Tuesday, September 12, 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 27, 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 25, 5:30 p.m.
Mayor Mobolade Listening Tour – City Council District 2
Liberty High School
8270 Scarborough Drive
Information and Agenda
Friday, September 1, 5:30 p.m.
Mayor Mobolade Listening Tour – City Council District 1
Coronado High School
1590 W. Fillmore Street
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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