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New property tax law could result in fewer tax breaks
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New property tax law could result in fewer tax breaks

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice House Bill 24B-1001 was the solution in a whirlwind, not-quite four-day special session of the Colorado Legislature, aimed at addressing escalating property taxes. Now local governments are discovering how it may take away one of their tools in providing relief: tax credits. This could mean property owners and businesses will end up paying more in taxes. What the new law does Following the special session he called in late August, Gov. Polis signed this bill into law on Sept. 4. It will limit annual property tax increases. The goal is halting the surge in property taxes caused by factors including increased home prices, inflation, the Gallagher Amendment repeal, TABOR and politically-driven initiatives. When it takes ef...
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Oppose Amendment 79: Constitutional right to abortion
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Oppose Amendment 79: Constitutional right to abortion

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be a change to the Colorado Constitution recognizing the right to abortion, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting the state and local governments from denying, impeding, or discriminating against the exercise of that right, allowing abortion to be a covered service under health insurance plans for Colorado state and local government employees and for enrollees in state and local governmental insurance programs? How it reached the ballot: Citizen signature petition, designated agents Dusti Gurule and Dani Newsum. Background: This measure seeks to add the following language to the Colorado Constitution: "The right to abortion is herby recognized. Government shall not deny, impede or discriminate ag...
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[UPDATED] Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters given 9-year sentence by judge
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[UPDATED] Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters given 9-year sentence by judge

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Judge Matthew Barrett has sentenced Tina Peters, once the Mesa County clerk and recorder, to serve eight and a half years in prison with the Department of Corrections, and six months in the Mesa County Jail as a result of being found guilty on various election charges related to her former capacity. In a scathing rebuke of her defiant behavior after a guilty conviction, Barrett listed all the reasons that probation was not a possibility for Peters: “You are no hero… Yes, you are a charlatan… Incarceration is appropriate when a person is a danger to us all, by sword or by pen,” he said from the bench. Peters' attorney, Michael Edministor, asked the judge to consider a probated sentence, considering his client had exhibited a his...
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In Grand Junction, residents debate whether pilot project is promising solution or problem multiplier
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In Grand Junction, residents debate whether pilot project is promising solution or problem multiplier

By Jen Schumann | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice The 4th/5th Street Pilot Project in Grand Junction has sparked a public outcry. City officials call the project a step toward a friendlier downtown for pedestrians and cyclists, but many residents feel it has done more harm than good. The city of Grand Junction launched Engage GJ for community input on projects. As of this article, 286 comments are on the 4th and 5th Street Pilot Project page. A majority, 205 comments are critical of the project on three fronts: access for the elderly and disabled, safety and impact on local businesses. Many expressed concerns about the pilot project's impact on their access to vital downtown services. They argue that the changes on 4th and 5th streets are confusing. They make it harder to naviga...
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Oppose Amendment K: Modify constitutional election deadlines
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Oppose Amendment K: Modify constitutional election deadlines

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning the modification of certain deadlines in connection with specified elections? How it reached the ballot: Senate Continuing Resolution 24-002, supported by a 61-1 vote of the House and 34-0 vote of the Democrat-controlled Senate. Background: This bipartisan measure simply seeks to provide an extra week of time for the secretary of state to meet election deadlines. The bill summary cites the deadline for military and overseas ballots as reasoning for the additional time. The measure would shorten an initiative petitioner's time by a week, and shorten a referendum petitioner's time to file following a session by a week. It amends the timeline for t...
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(Neutral) Amendment J: Repealing the definition of marriage in the Constitution
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(Neutral) Amendment J: Repealing the definition of marriage in the Constitution

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution removing the ban on same-sex marriage? How it reached the ballot: Senate Continuing Resolution 24-003, originally titled "Protecting the freedom to marry". This partisan legislation split upon party lines, being supported by a 46-14 vote of the Democrat-controlled House and 29-5 vote of the Democrat-controlled Senate. Background: Presently, Section 31 of the Colorado Constitution regarding marriage reads: "Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state." This measure repeals the language, currently read to restrict same-sex marriage. The summary page of SCR 24-003 correctly notes that since 2015 the U.S. Supr...
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Parker mayor, City Council forum featuring up to nine candidates is Thursday at Deep Space Lounge
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Parker mayor, City Council forum featuring up to nine candidates is Thursday at Deep Space Lounge

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Candidates for mayor and City Council seats in Parker will appear in a forum hosted by the Downtown Business Alliance at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, at the Deep Space Lounge, an email received by the Rocky Mountain Voice indicates. The forum begins with the at-large election for city council, followed by the mayor's race. The forum is open to the public, with guests invited to begin arriving at 6 p.m. There is no cost for admission, but guests must cover their food and drink expense. Jeff Toborg and Joshua Rivero are vying for mayor. Toborg presently serves as mayor, and Rivero is a present member of City Council. Seven candidates are vying for three places on City Council in an at-large election. The field includes three present members o...
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Overbeck: Ranked-choice (Prop. 131) is the scam that can erase your vote 
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Overbeck: Ranked-choice (Prop. 131) is the scam that can erase your vote 

By Joy Overbeck  | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Ranked-choice voting (RCV), Proposition 131 on Colorado’s November ballot, is such a drastic perversion of our nation’s 247-year election standard of one person/one vote that voting for it risks actually losing your vote. Rather than an improvement in election bi-partisanship and choice -- its boosters are spending more than $8 million to convince voters, in practice, the candidates that get the most votes can lose, and those with the fewest votes may come out the winners. And your vote can even be trashed, thrown out, if you don’t follow the complicated directions.  This initiative would replace party primary ballots with "jungle" primaries for governor, treasurer, attorney general, secretary of state, state board of e...
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Support Amendment I: Constitutional bail exception [of] first-degree murder
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Support Amendment I: Constitutional bail exception [of] first-degree murder

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning creating an exception to the right to bail for cases of murder in the first-degree when proof is evident or presumption is great? How it reached the ballot: House Continuing Resolution 24-1002, supported by a 59-5 vote of the House and 35-0 vote of the Senate. Not only did the bipartisan measure carry unanimous support in the Senate, but it also was sponsored by almost every member. The measure was opposed in the House by the most extreme, far-left Democrats. Background: The authors of the measure seek to prevent those charged with first-degree murder from being eligible for bail "if proof is evident or presumption is great." When bail is grante...
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Support Amendment H: Judicial discipline procedures and confidentiality
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Support Amendment H: Judicial discipline procedures and confidentiality

By Editorial Board | Editorial, Rocky Mountain Voice Ballot language: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning judicial discipline, and, in connection therewith, establishing an independent judicial discipline adjudicative board, setting standards for judicial review of a discipline case, and clarifying when discipline proceedings become public? How it reached the ballot: House Continuing Resolution 23-1001, supported by a 60-3 vote of the House and 35-0 vote of the Senate. An overwhelming bipartisan majority of both legislative chambers sponsored the measure. Three Republicans in the House opposed the measure. Background: The measure amends Section 23 of the Colorado Constitution, pertaining to judicial discipline. Under existing law, proceedings of the...
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