By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics
Gov. Jared Polis is facing backlash for comments he made during the winter conference of Colorado counties, when he blamed ranchers for the cost of the wolf reintroduction program this year.
The topic of wolves at the Colorado Counties, Inc. conference arose in response to Polis’ comments about an ever-tightening state budget. The association represents 63 of the state’s 64 counties.
State economists have estimated that the 2025-26 state budget will be short about $1 billion due to lowering inflation and the end of billions in one-time federal money tied to the pandemic.