|
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.
-
Governor Polis and the democrats in the Colorado Legislature are devising a scheme to loan you your own money to pay your property taxes. As a reminder, this increase in property taxes was caused by their inaction to remedy property tax increases, which was caused by their promotion of overturning the Gallagher Amendment. This loan will involve them putting a lien on your property as collateral. Sounds a little like the mafia, doesn’t it?
-
If you have been enjoying not paying tolls through the I-25 gap express lanes, your days of happiness are coming to an end starting January 17.
-
A Colorado Springs-based microchip company is expanding, and you, the taxpayer, are paying for the expansion. Congratulations!
-
The Penrose Library in downtown Colorado Springs will close for at least two months for safety and security upgrades. We’re pretty sure we know why these security upgrades are needed.
-
Remember the infill and land use bill that was rejected last year in the state legislature? Well, it’s back for another round. Will they cram this down our throats out of sheer spite? Our Magic 8 Ball says that’s very possible.
-
School District 12's school board dealt a blow to their taxpaying residents. Instead of reducing the mill levy for property taxes, they kept the current rate in place. Former County Commissioner Jim Bensberg spoke out on behalf of taxpayers.
-
El Paso County officials have paid a $400,000 lawsuit resulting from injuries sustained during a high-speed police chase.
-
Colorado legislators have placed an arbitrary ceiling on the cost of Epi-Pens in the state. This may lead to shortages of this critical medicine. The government typically makes everything worse when they try to arbitrarily interfere in markets.
-
A local organization is generating support for a ballot measure that would protect natural gas from a legislative ban. This is the way.
-
Charging for plastic bags at retail stores has been lucrative for the government, as designed. The City of Colorado Springs raked in about $1 million, one dime at a time.
-
The number of permits to build apartment buildings fell in 2023, but the number of units available for rent skyrocketed. Are we about to see the apartment bubble burst in Apartment City, USA?
-
Governor Polis is suggesting taxing land value, rather than developed property, to manage the property tax crisis he created. This would almost certainly lead to more building density, or infill. Is this his real goal?
-
Despite this news, The Colorado Springs Planning Commission ruled in favor of a massive, low-income apartment complex being built in the Pine Creek neighborhood. The “affordable housing” grift rolls on.
-
Statewide, motor vehicle thefts are down from the third-world highs we’re used to seeing. However, motor vehicle theft is up 30% in the Colorado Springs region.
-
Manitou Springs has purchased the land that once held a motel. This will be used for paid parking in Manitou.
-
The 2024 El Paso County budget has been approved, and the budget contains the lowest per-capita spending of the largest ten counties in Colorado. Well done, El Paso County Commissioners!
-
On the opposite side of that coin, the City and County of Denver are slashing essential services to actual taxpayers by 15% across the board to fund aid to illegal immigrants. The salaries of government workers, in contrast, will not be cut a penny. Looks like the reality of their sanctuary city virtue-signaling pose is blowing up in their faces.
-
The Chief of Police in Colorado Springs says his officers don’t have time or energy for extra patrols, paid with overtime. They do, however, have time and energy to be loaned out to a private vendor for private security.
-
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, January 22, 10:00 a.m.
Colorado Springs City Council Work Session
107 N. Nevada, 3rd floor
Live stream link here
Agenda not yet posted
Tuesday, January 23, 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, January 16, 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, January 23, 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, January 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
Miscellaneous Meetings of Interest
Tuesday, January 16, 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
Thursday, February 1, 6:30 p.m.
Independence Institute Local Government Training Workshop
Online Via Zoom
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's social media on their Facebook Page and 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
| 
