Count Me In Colorado, a coalition of nonprofit and fiscal policy organizations, hosted a “Virtual Ballot Bash” this week to explain the three statewide measures on the Nov. 2 ballot.
“You play a role in shaping Colorado policy,” said Louise Vazquez with the Colorado Fiscal Institute, one of the participating organizations.
The beginning of the presentation was a primer in Colorado elections and taxes, noting the state raises money three ways:
- Sales taxes on products.
- Property taxes that fund local entities, such as schools, library and fire districts.
- State income taxes that fund public education and state departments, such as transportation and corrections.
“What is made available by the taxes we pay?” Vazquez asked participants.
Then staff members from the fiscal institute, as well as the Community Resource Center and Colorado Common Cause, explained the nitty-gritty details of this year’s amendment and propositions.
Cameron Hill with Common Cause Colorado presented the breakdown on Amendment 78, which stipulates how custodial money can be spent by the state.
Custodial money is revenue that comes to states from outside state or local taxes, Hill said, such as federal COVID-19 relief, federal emergency money, or flood and wildfire relief funds. They also can include legal settlements, such as the opioid settlement funds, or federal grants for transportation or other issues.
Currently, this money is distributed by the governor’s office or a specific state agency, such as the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Amendment 78 would require that all custodial money to go through the appropriations process in the state Legislature, including a public hearing.
According to the State Ballot Information Booklet, better known as the Blue Book, a “yes” vote would require all of these funds be allocated by the state Legislature.
A “no” vote allows state agencies to continue spending custodial money.
The argument for Amendment 78 is that it would increase transparency and accountability in state government, according to the Blue Book.
The argument against it is that it adds unnecessary and expensive bureaucracy and could delay or interrupt state services.
Colorado Rising Action, a conservative advocacy group, obtained the signatures to get the amendment proposal on the ballot, Hill said.
By changing the way the state divides these sources of revenue, the amendment will cost an estimated $1 million annually in increased staffing at the Legislature, according to the Blue Book.
Proposition 119 would change state statutes to create the Colorado Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress program. It would be paid for by increasing the state’s portion of sales tax on recreational marijuana sales, from 15% to 20% over three years. The proposition also would shift funds from the State Land Trust and the General Fund to pay for the academic programs.
State taxes on recreational marijuana totaled $290 million in the 2020-21 fiscal year, said Caitlin Schneider with the Colorado Fiscal Institute.
The increase in taxes would pay for more after-school programs and learning services for Colorado children between the ages of 5 and 17. Families at or below the poverty level would be given priority for the programs.
The proposition would establish the Colorado Learning Authority, a new state agency, to administer the money and establish programs. Tutoring and out-of-school programs are needed across the state to improve students’ reading and math abilities, and school closures caused by COVID-19 increased the need, proponents say in the Blue Book.
Families would request the funding directly, then the agency would pay the providers for services, so there is “a lot of uncertainty” about how the LEAP program would actually operate, according to the fiscal institute.
Gary Community Ventures, a foundation in Denver, is heading the process of getting the proposition on the ballot.
Education groups and unions are divided in supporting and opposing the proposition, Schneider said, while some are neutral.
The proposition would raise about $109 million annually for the programs after 2022-23, according to the Blue Book. A table in the book estimated that retail marijuana users would pay between $54 and $238 more in sales taxes annually. Colorado lands about in the middle of sales tax rates charged by the 18 states that have legalized marijuana use.
La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee asked if the grants could apply to after-school programs, such as Boys & Girls Clubs.
Schneider said after-school programs could apply for the funding, and the Boys & Girls Clubs in Colorado endorse the proposition.
There are marijuana industry groups that oppose the measure, Schneider said.
The final citizen initiative measure on the ballot is Proposition 120, the Property Tax Assessment Rate Reduction.
Colorado Rising Action, sponsor of Amendment 78, also worked to get this proposition on the ballot.
The proposition would permanently lower the assessment rate for property taxes on multifamily properties, such as duplexes and apartments, as well as lodging properties – motels, hotels and bed and breakfasts, but not vacation rentals.
Originally, the proposition would have lowered property taxes on all properties in the state by about $1 billion, but Senate Bill 293 lowered the fiscal impact by applying it only to some properties. It would reduce property tax revenues by about $45 million annually, according to the Colorado Fiscal Institute. There is a lawsuit filed to expand Proposition 120 back to covering all property in the state, including residential properties.
Colorado currently has the third-lowest property taxes in the nation.
At the end of the Ballot Bash, the policy experts recommended voters research issues by reading the Blue Book, the Colorado Secretary of State website or nonpartisan websites, such as the Colorado Legislative Council, League of Women Voters or Count Me In Colorado, where a recording of the Ballot Bash is available for voters to view.
In addition to the ballot issues, the local races this year are for school board members in the Durango, Ignacio and Bayfield school districts.
Local ballots have been mailed and are due by 7 p.m. Nov. 2. In-person voting will start Oct. 25 at the La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. Voter service and polling centers will be open Oct. 29 and Nov. 1 and 2 at Bayfield Town Hall, and Nov. 1 and 2 at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.
Ballots can be dropped off anytime through Nov. 2 at the Clerk’s Office, the county administration building at 1101 East Second Ave., La Plata County Fairgrounds, Community Concert Hall, Bayfield Town Hall and Farmers Fresh Market in Ignacio.
More information about local elections is available online at https://www.co.laplata.co.us/elections/2021.
