Fiscal Responsibility - Rocky Mountain Voice

Denver approves executive pay hikes while facing budget shortfall and reserve drop

Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Local, Top Stories / May 14, 2025 / Budget deficit, City budget, City workers, Denver City Council, Denver Mayor, Executive pay, Fiscal Responsibility, Homelessness funding, Migrant spending, Public Spending, Public Trust

A set of salary increases for top Denver officials is drawing criticism, as the city faces continued financial strain and modest pay growth for most employees. The raises are included in the 2025 budget—totaling $1.76 billion—which the Denver City Council approved on November 12, 2024.

On May 6, the City Council’s Finance & Governance Committee approved nearly $500,000 in pay increases for 12 charter-appointed department heads.

These changes are expected to add over $216,000 to general fund expenditures this year, with individual increases ranging from 4% up to an eye-catching 43%. The new salaries are scheduled to take effect on July 1.

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District 51’s master plan delivers first wins with taxpayer-focused school upgrades

The Business Times, Approved, Local / May 9, 2025 / Education infrastructure, Fiscal Responsibility, Local Control, Mesa County, Mesa County Valley School District 51, School facilities, School safety, Taxpayer savings

Mesa County Valley School District 51 continues to advance its 25-year Facility Master Plan, a comprehensive roadmap initiated in 2023 to address the district’s long-term infrastructure needs.

At the Grand Junction Economic Summit on April 25, District 51 Superintendent Brian Hill discussed the district’s success in developing the facility master plan as a way to communicate with the community, provide updates on capital funding needs and establish a consistent approach to securing and responsibly utilizing funding for the projects.

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Minary: Common principles of Conservatism and why they matter in Colorado

Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories / May 5, 2025 / border security, Conservatism, Constitutional governance, Election Integrity, Family values, Fiscal Responsibility, Government Efficiency, Parental Rights, Property Rights, Protection of life, Religious freedom, Safe communities, UNAFFILIATED VOTERS

The majority of Coloradans have become disengaged and disillusioned with Party politics and rhetoric, for good reasons. Both major parties, R and D, have lost their way. So, the largest bloc of voters in CO is now “Unaffiliated.”

In political discussions, we often use ‘labels’ to describe ourselves and others. These labels include terms like Republican, Democrat, Moderate, Right, Left, Liberal and Conservative. Unfortunately, if you ask 10 people to define exactly what their own political label means, only one can do it with any clarity. That leads very quickly to stereotyping, misunderstandings and disagreement. Rather than listening, we talk over, rather than with, each other.

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Did Grand Junction’s City Council enable a pay-to-play deal?

Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Local, Top Stories / March 25, 2025 / Fiscal Responsibility, Grand Junction City Council, Health & Fitness, RFP, Taxpayers

When the City of Grand Junction accepted a $3 million donation from Intermountain Health (St. Mary’s Hospital) in exchange for naming rights to its new Community Recreation Center (CRC), the deal looked like a win for the community. But behind that vote lies a contract process that critics say gave some bidders an unfair advantage — a deal many providers never had a fair shot at.

Did Grand Junction’s City Council enable a pay-to-play deal? Read More »

Rep. Gonzalez: Colorado doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem

In the state of Colorado, we are facing over a $1.2 BILLION dollar shortfall. As we are now halfway through the 2025 legislative session, we have seen little progress from the lawmaking majority on making hard and significant cuts to our budget. Rather than admit the improper allocation of taxpayer dollars, the majority uses this predicament to go after and attack our Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).

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