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Six Colorado counties hike lodging taxes while two hold the line
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Six Colorado counties hike lodging taxes while two hold the line

By Rachael Wright | The Denver Gazette Six mountain communities across Colorado voted on Tuesday to raise their lodging taxes after the state legislature passed a bill allowing counties to triple such taxes and spend the money on a wider range of projects, including public infrastructure, childcare and housing for workers.  Lodging tax increases passed in Eagle, Gilpin, Hinsdale, Ouray, Routt and Park but failed in Chaffee and Custer counties. Rural mountain communities have struggled for years under the pressures of increased tourism. Supporters said the new state law would allow those communities to pass along some of their increased costs to visitors. Before the new law’s adoption, the tax revenue could be used only for tourism marketing and some worker housing. Some of...
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Commissioner Daniel: It’s Time for Fiscal Common Sense in Colorado
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The Business Times, Approved, Commentary, Local

Commissioner Daniel: It’s Time for Fiscal Common Sense in Colorado

By Bobbie Daniel | Commentary, The Business Times In the business world, there’s one principle that separates success from failure: You can’t spend what you don’t have. If a company tried to launch a dozen new initiatives without funding them, investors would walk, creditors would call, and the board would be out by morning. Yet somehow, that’s exactly how the State of Colorado has been operating. Each year, new laws are passed that sound good on paper but come with no money to make them work. Those costs get quietly pushed down to local governments — and ultimately to taxpayers. We call them unfunded mandates, and they’re the public-sector version of bad business. Here in Mesa County, we’ve been tracking these costs for two years, and the numbers tell the story. This year alon...
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Colorado Counties Push Back on Polis Over Costly ‘Unfunded Mandates’
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Counties Push Back on Polis Over Costly ‘Unfunded Mandates’

By: Allie Jennerjahn | Denver7 In Mesa County alone, Commissioner Bobbie Daniel tracked down almost $10 million a year in unfunded mandates. DENVER — More than 40 Colorado counties have voiced concerns to Governor Jared Polis about laws being passed without funding. They claim it's putting a burden on local governments, and in some cases, leave taxpayers to foot the bill. The concern started in Mesa County when Commissioner Bobbie Daniel started to notice "unfunded mandates" getting brought up constantly when discussing budget. "I asked, 'Anyone tracking this? Is this something that we're, collectively as an organization, tracking?' And no, and we weren't at the time," Daniel said. "And so I said, "Let's continue looking at this. Let's track it and see what we come up with.'"...
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Denver Voters Approve $935 Million Bond, Expanding City Debt and Mayor’s Agenda
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kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Denver Voters Approve $935 Million Bond, Expanding City Debt and Mayor’s Agenda

By: Phil Rankin | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — Mayor Mike Johnston has declared victory on the $935 million Vibrant Denver bond package, Ballot Issues 2A-2E in Election 2025. Voters are being asked to approve funding for projects spread across five areas: 2A: $441M for transportation and mobility 2B: $175M for parks and recreation 2C: $30M for health and human services 2D: $244M for city infrastructure and facilities 2E: $59M for housing and shelters READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT KDVR FOX31
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A Conservative Tide in Montrose County Education, Tempered by a Disturbing Underbelly
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

A Conservative Tide in Montrose County Education, Tempered by a Disturbing Underbelly

By Michael J Badagliacco, “MJB” | Guest Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice As the dust settles on the November 4, 2025, election in Montrose County, Colorado, the unofficial results paint a clear picture of voter priorities: a resounding endorsement of conservative values in the classroom, coupled with a sharp rebuke of personality clashes and certain local measures. With a turnout of 50.50% (16,248 ballots cast out of 32,173 active registered voters), a strong showing for an off-year election, these outcomes signal a community eager for change in education but demanding accountability from its leaders. The Montrose County School Board races delivered a clean sweep for candidates championing traditional principles, while the recall of County Commissioner Scott Mijares highlights the infl...
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Denver City Council Blocks Proposal to Cut Police Budget for Homeless Services
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver City Council Blocks Proposal to Cut Police Budget for Homeless Services

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette A push to shift millions of dollars away from the Denver Police Department to pay for homeless families’ shelter failed on Monday night, when councilmembers waded through more than two dozen amendments. The council voted against a pair of amendments, sponsored independently by Councilmember Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and At-large Councilmember Sarah Parady, both of which proposed a one-time budget reallocation of $9 million from the police department to Denver’s Department of Housing Stability (HOST) to pay for the needs of approximately 240 homeless families. The two amendments would have taken funding from DPD’s recruiting program, as well as from its service and supply budget line. When asked how HOST might use the additional cash infus...
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Tri-Lakes parents back Ginger Schaaf for D38 School Board—and stronger schools
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

Tri-Lakes parents back Ginger Schaaf for D38 School Board—and stronger schools

By Amy Stephens | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Two years ago, Ginger Schaaf and her family moved to Monument after her husband retired from military service. Having lived in Olympia, Washington, they were ready to leave behind “woke” policies that made it untenable to stay. “It was so extreme that at local sports games there wasn’t even an American flag,” Ginger recalled. “You had to put your hand on your chest and look to the sky.” When the Schaafs chose Monument, it was because of the area’s strong sense of community and its reputation for excellent schools—something they wanted for their middle- and high-school-age sons. So when Ginger learned that progressive community organizer Jackie Burhans had entered the D38 school-board race, she knew she had to step forward. ...
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In Aurora, Danielle Jurinsky doesn’t talk change—she works for it
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

In Aurora, Danielle Jurinsky doesn’t talk change—she works for it

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Since taking office in 2021, Danielle Jurinsky has thrown herself into Aurora’s challenges. She’s backed measures to curb crime and pushed to ease the load on small businesses and residents when it comes to local taxes. But Jurinsky’s work hasn’t stopped at city hall — she’s known for showing up at neighborhood cleanups, community events, and talking face-to-face with the people she represents. One of her biggest moments came when she raised the alarm about a violent gang terrorizing residents at local apartment complexes— while others looked the other way. -https://www.danielleforaurora.com/about Taking the risk to tell the truth about Tren de Aragua She made national headlines when she publicly ...
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Denver Takes Trump Administration to Court Over Alleged Funding Restrictions
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kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Denver Takes Trump Administration to Court Over Alleged Funding Restrictions

By: Heather Willard | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — The city and county of Denver has joined Chicago, New York, Boston and more in a lawsuit against the Trump administration for allegedly imposing illegal conditions for grant funding. Denver said that the new lawsuit aims to prevent the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency from requiring compliance with the current administration’s stance on diversity, equity and inclusion to get grant funding. “President Trump is threatening to strip cities of critical funding for everything from fighting fires to protecting concertgoers at Red Rocks from serious threats,” said Denver Mayor Mike Johnston in a release. “These grants have nothing to do with diversity, equity, and inclusion and everything to ...
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