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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 Colorado House passed a property tax bill during the special session. It will now go to the Senate for review. It’s difficult not to be cynical about this, since the legislature had a special session last year, prioritizing robbing taxpayers of TABOR refunds over real property tax relief. Additionally, the first bill the democrats introduced would create a constitutional amendment banning citizens from bringing property tax relief ballot measures to voters. They are not serious about property tax relief. They are serious about taking as much of your money as possible. They never let a crisis they created go to waste.
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A restaurant co-owned by Mayor Yemi Mobolade is closing its doors. The Wild Goose Meeting House will close for business in the coming weeks.
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Should recreational marijuana be sold in Colorado Springs city limits? Two ballot initiatives on this subject will be presented to voters in November. One initiative, if passed, would allow recreational sales in city limits. One competing measure would ban the idea of recreational sales in city limits for good.
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Authoritarian Colorado legislators are, once again, toying with the idea of forcing employers to micromanage how employees travel to and from work. This is in no way the proper role of government in America. Additionally, it is also not the government’s job to force employers to carry out the government’s bidding. Yet, your Colorado legislature seems determined to push for this anyway.
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A recent sweep of a homeless camp in Colorado Springs led, once again, to the arrest of criminals for outstanding warrants, trespassing, and other criminal activities. Maybe lack of housing isn’t the root of the problem.
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Colorado Springs is updating the city’s homeless response plan, and your feedback has been requested. We say, give them all the feedback they can stand.
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Colorado regulators have released their rules for the use and cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms in Colorado. Voters legalized psychedelic mushrooms in 2022.
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Did you know that there are over 100 different criminal gangs operating in Colorado Springs? It’s true.
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Also in crime news this week, gun theft in Colorado Springs is at a five-year high. Smash-and-grab gun store robberies, as well as people leaving guns in vehicles, are cited as components of the problem. Maybe seeing criminals as victims, and treating them with kid gloves was a bad idea.
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Violent crime in Colorado is out of control, and youth crime is skyrocketing. In Aurora recently, teenagers saw fit to shoot dozens of rounds at police officers. Additionally, South American criminal gangs, who have taken advantage of our wide-open southern border, have taken over some properties in Aurora. How can we expect the police to impact crime when it seems the government, at multiple levels, encourages this crime?
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Office vacancy rates in downtown Denver are at 34%, which, as far as anyone can tell, is a new record. Legalizing criminal behavior and vagrancy has consequences.
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Regulations and high costs for Denver restaurants are causing some restaurant owners to shut their doors, and try to run their businesses in other states, such as Texas.
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Also in Denver, a special sales tax is being used to convert public housing to fully electric power. Did you know that this electric power is generated from burning fossil fuels? Let’s all celebrate the greenness together.
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A Colorado District Court has ruled that the Pueblo drug needle exchange program can continue. The ACLU filed a lawsuit against a challenge to this program because taxpayer-supported drug use is apparently a civil liberty now.
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Remember the “free” school lunches for all program that voters approved in 2022? Well, we are all learning how much “free” costs, and it costs a lot.
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Did you know that, in Colorado Springs, if you try to fix a pothole yourself, you are breaking the law? Because of course, this would be a law. Now, if they would only make car theft and violent crime illegal, they’d be on to something.
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One pack of wolves, that has been introduced in Colorado, is responsible for many cattle killings. Because this is what wolves do. This pack has been trapped and relocated, all at your expense. Yes, we live like this now, because voters along the front range voted for this.
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Dozens of residents, who live near the Ford Amphitheater, showed up to the City Council to complain about the noise and disruption caused by this music venue. So far, the city has received over 750 noise complaints. Residents around this venue are miserable and have lost all trust in Colorado Springs City Council. But developers, concert promoters, and hoteliers are making money hand over fist, so there’s the silver lining. Taxpaying citizens, as usual, come last in Colorado Springs.
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Colorado Springs City Council approved a ballot measure to tax those living in Old Colorado City and form a government development authority to micromanage Old Colorado City. Think of this as the worst HOA you could possibly imagine, and then multiply that by 10, but with more taxes and the potential to have an amphitheater or sports stadium inflicted on the area. We’ve been to Old Colorado City, and, besides the drug-addled vagrants lying all over the sidewalks, they look like they are doing just fine without the worst HOA imaginable ruining their lives. We strongly encourage readers to look closely at the ballot measure.
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A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at a recently opened “affordable housing” complex off of Interquest Parkway. Do you feel the affordable joy?
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Colorado government is fond of collecting taxes from you while lying and calling these taxes “fees” in order to get around the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. Here is a detailed analysis of how these taxes, disguised as fees, are spent in Colorado.
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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 9, 10:00 a.m.
Colorado Springs City Council Work Session
107 N. Nevada, 3rd floor
Live stream link here
Agenda not yet posted
Tuesday, August 9, 1:00 p.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, September 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, September 24, 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
Monday, September 2, 5:00 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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