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This page contains an archive of the last 100 entries posted to ProgressNow.org Daily News Digest in the Effective and Ethical Government category. They are listed from newest to oldest. You can find older entries using the search box below.

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Effective and Ethical Government Archives

February 29, 2008

Visiting Iraqi lawmakers warn security will crumble if U.S. exits - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8400344...
While assassinations, kidnappings and suicide bombings have decreased, security will collapse if U.S. forces leave Baghdad, visiting Iraqi lawmakers warned Thursday. The 10 Baghdad-area council members — Sunnis and Shiites who collectively represent 4 million Iraqis — were in agreement on that as they began a three-day tour to get a dose of democracy in Denver. They're the latest of hundreds of Iraqi officials whom the U.S. State Department has sent to observe local governments and civil society. The idea: Showing Iraqis government done right will lead to a stable system that could help U.S. soldiers come home. For now, "they must stay," said Omar al-Rahmani, deputy chairman of the Adhamiyah district council. "We don't have a loyal army, we don't have loyal police. . . . How long? We don't know." A key hurdle is separating religion from politics, al-Rahmani said. "If America goes now, they're going to give the country to Iran," he said.
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Grand Junction Sentinel - New armory on list of building projects

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/02/28/022908_1B_capital...
A series of Western Slope construction projects will receive nearly one-fifth of the state’s capital construction budget next year, the Capital Development Committee agreed Thursday morning. The committee, including Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, approved a $239.3 million budget for 35 projects. The panel’s short list includes $4 million for a new armory in Grand Junction and $18.4 million for Mesa State College’s Saunders Fieldhouse. “This is the best capital funding list for rural Colorado in a very long time,” Penry said.
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Senator's "attempted joke" raises eyebrows - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8397492...
Sen. Shawn Mitchell said he was just poking fun at Democrats, not race, when he directed a comment today at Senate President Peter Groff and Sen. Ken Gordon that some lawmakers found insensitive. Mitchell, a Broomfield Republican who is white, was speaking on a medical malpractice law bill sponsored by Groff, a Denver Democrat and the Senate's first black president. Groff and Majority Leader Ken Gordon, who is white, were standing near the podium as Mitchell argued in opposition to the bill. At one point, Mitchell mistakenly addressed Gordon as Groff, prompting him to correct himself and say to Groff, "Excuse me, Mr. President. You all look alike to me." Neither Gordon nor Groff said anything about the comment at the time and the debate continued. At a later, point, Sen. Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, who was presiding over the Senate during the debate, referred to Mitchell's comment. Shaffer said that while he didn't think there was anything "racial" about the remark, he nonetheless should have struck down the gavel when it was said and pointed out that it was inappropriate.
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Roll call, February 29 : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/29/roll-call-february-29/...
Rep. Debbie Stafford looked like a natural holding the baby. "I just had my 16th grandchild the week of Christmas - six biological, 10 adopted through creative means - so I love being a grandmother," said Stafford, D-Aurora. Stafford took 8-month-old Morgan Baker to the podium of the House chambers to introduce her and her family. The adorable baby was visiting the Capitol with her mother for Cyber Schools' Day.
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Former Jeffco treasurer to be retried - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8393891...
Former Jefferson County Treasurer Mark Paschall will be retried on a charge related to an alleged kickback scheme. On Feb. 15, Paschall was found not guilty on a charge of attempted felony theft, but a mistrial was declared on a second charge when the jury could not reach unanimous verdict. The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office today refiled the deadlocked charge — receiving compensation for past official behavior. State law defines the charge as a public servant who "offers, confers or agrees to confer compensation" in violation of his duty. Paschall was indicted a year ago on charges that shortly before he left office in 2006 he offered a former top aide a $25,000 bonus and demanding that she pay him $9,000 out of the post-tax proceeds. A jury trial is scheduled to begin July 29.
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Top Stories: Memorial Health Systems scrambling to refinance more than 90 percent of its debt to curb sharply higher interest payments | bonds, rate, auction : Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/bonds_33649___article.html/rate_auction.html...
Memorial Health System is scrambling to refinance $272 million in bonds, more than 90 percent of its debt, to curb sharply higher interest payments triggered by the national subprime mortgage meltdown. The rates Memorial pays on so-called auction-rate bonds have more than doubled in recent weeks in the wake of the credit trouble, but it’s unclear what the fallout from higher payments will be for the cityowned hospital, said Chief Financial Officer Gary Flansburg. “It’s definitely increasing our expenses and will impact our net operating income (profit) this year,” he said. Memorial sold auction-rate bonds in 2002 and 2004 to pay for expanding its main hospital campus, building a hospital in Briargate and remodeling projects. The interest rate on those bonds has jumped from an average of 3 percent to 6.5 percent Thursday, Flansburg said. That has increased Memorial’s monthly payment on the bonds by $800,000 to $1.5 million, he said. “Interest rates started to trend up a little in January and got acute in the last two to three weeks of February,” Flansburg said. Auction-rate bonds became a popular financing tool for governments and nonprofit organizations such as hospitals and universities and now account for more than $300 billion in outstanding debt, according to The Bond Buyer, a New York-based publication specializing in public finance.
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Subprime crisis filters to Pueblo building plans

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1204297679/1...
The jittery national economy may force Pueblo County to change its strategy to pay for the new City-County Health Department building. The county now may have to borrow money to pay for the building, if it wants to secure the best financing deal to pay for a $35 million judicial building as well. The Pueblo County Board of Commissioners heard a report from Alan Matlosz, senior vice president of public finance for George K. Baum Investment Bankers, who said it may be in the best interest of the county to borrow money to build the health department after all. He said the county should combine the health department financing package with $35 million for the justice center in order to save money in interest rates. Matlosz said the problem is that the country's subprime mortgage crises, which led to millions of home foreclosures nationwide, has had a ripple effect in the government bond market.
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Mayor losing top aide - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8400189...
Roxane White is leaving her post as manager of Denver's Human Services Department to become executive director of the Timothy and Bernadette Marquez Foundation. White has been a key figure in Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's administration, championing and crafting during her five-year tenure the mayor's initiative against homelessness. "The really good ones, if you're lucky, you get to keep them three years or four years," the mayor said in an interview. "She is one of the most talented people I've worked with." Marquez, an oilman, and his wife have been instrumental players in establishing the Denver Scholarship Foundation, which will pay for underprivileged Denver high school graduates to go to college. The two created a $50 million matching-gift scholarship program. White will head a new foundation, which will focus on human-services issues.
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Ex-Jeffco treasurer faces retrial : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/29/ex-jeffco-treasurer-faces-retr...
Former Jefferson County treasurer Mark Paschall wasn't smiling Thursday as he learned that prosecutors plan to put him on trial again for a charge that a hung jury didn't reach a verdict in his trial this month. Paschall was all smiles then, after a jury acquitted him of attempted theft for allegedly soliciting a kickback from a bonus he approved for a top aide. But the jury hung on a second charge of compensation for past official behavior, and prosecutors told the judge Thursday that they want to set the case for retrial. That will take place July 29. Paschall looked grim-faced as he heard the news just before the 8 a.m. hearing. "Oh, man," he said, heaving a sigh as he left the courtroom without comment after the brief hearing. Defense attorney David Lane said he wasn't surprised. "This is the county of Jefferson, Colorado," Lane said. "This is a white, rich, suburban county without a lot of serious crime. But it has the most overblown criminal justice system in the state. They take the weakest cases to trial to justify their existence." Lane said his client was disappointed.
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The Longmont Times-Call - 300 celebrate ‘Unity in the Community’

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=6889...
A month after one of the city’s most divisive elections, about 300 people turned out to help the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce celebrate “Unity in the Community.” The crowd, which included 60 elected officials, surpassed the 220 who came to last year’s “Unity” gathering. The chamber began the event five years ago as “Meet Your Elected Officials” but later changed the name to reflect the chamber’s hopes of going beyond politics to cooperation. “We felt we had a need for an event that brought people together,” said Tracy Taylor-Sea, the chamber’s event marketing director. Business owners mixed with officials from the local, state and even national levels: Both U.S. Sen Wayne Allard and U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave sent representatives. The conversations might be simple pleasantries, discussions of tax policies or questions to a deputy about what the REAL speed limit is.
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Metro: Have a say in the El Paso County budget | county, committee, budget : Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/county_33676___article.html/committee_budget.htm...
A handful of citizens will get the chance this year to tell El Paso County commissioners how the county should be spending its money in 2009. Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to create the county’s first Citizen Budget Oversight Committee, which will set priorities for next year’s budget and present recommendations in May. “We want a budget process where if the citizens can understand it, then they can make recommendations,” said commission Chairman Dennis Hisey. Approval came after a tense discussion of who should be appointed to the committee, with Commissioner Sallie Clark in favor of limiting the group to residents.
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Aurora to tout name on signs by med center : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/29/aurora-to-tout-name-on-signs-b...
What's in a name? For this city working hard to emerge from Denver's shadow, it means everything. That's why Aurora officials are so rankled over the name of a premier medical campus in the city: University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus. They complain it plays up ties to Denver, not Aurora. So, to bolster its identity, Aurora plans to install three illuminated "City of Aurora" signs around the Fitzsimons campus on East Colfax Avenue at a cost of up to $270,000. The city has grown more aggressive in its push to establish high name recognition at the campus since the school adopted the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus moniker in October.
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Summit Daily News - Breck council gets salary bump

http://summitdaily.com/article/20080228/NEWS/788320784...
An ordinance that will increase the salaries of the Breckenridge Town councilmembers elected this spring recently passed the second reading with a 5-to-1 vote. Future elected councilmembers will receive $800 per month, compared to $500 now.
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Grand Junction Sentinel - De Beque mayor quits; critical time for town

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/02/28/022808_1b_De_Bequ...
Don Cramer has been De Beque’s mayor for the past six years. Two weeks ago, he called it quits and resigned, saying he needed to care for his ailing wife. Cramer, 75, leaves the town at a critical time. It is being inundated with speculative developers and energy companies seeking profit.
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February 28, 2008

Roll call, February 28 : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/28/roll-call-february-28/...
"We now have so many women in the legislature there's a line in the bathroom. I love it." Rep. Alice Borodkin, D-Denver
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Citizen Legislator, February 28 : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/28/citizen-legislator-february-28...
Rep. Bob Gardner served as the El Paso County Republican Party chairman in the mid-1990s and has volunteered on several political campaigns. "I don't always win by any means, but I always believe in the candidates I'm working for," he said.
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Under the Dome - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8387622...
The legislative session is nearly half over. And Wednesday was deadline day for the House to ship its bills to the Senate and the Senate to send its measures to the House. In a marathon morning session, the House passed bills requiring cities and rural electric associations to spend more on energy efficiency and companies to provide space for breast-feeding moms. House Bill 1107 from Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, requires cities and REAs to spend 2 percent of their revenues on energy-efficiency programs. The bill passed 59-6, with critics saying it was unfair to some municipalities. Colorado Springs, for example, would have to come up with $14 million in the next few years to meet the requirement. House Bill 1276 from Rep. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, would require businesses to provide space and break time for new mothers to pump breast milk. Six Republican men voted against the measure, some complaining it was another mandate on business.
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Federal Center unveils big plans - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_8385960...
A new master plan for the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood calls for 3.6 million square feet of new development and 1,400 residential units. Combined with some of the existing buildings, the Federal Center will have a total of 6.4 million square feet on the 640-acre site within the next 20 years. The Federal Center property, which houses government offices, including the U.S. Geological Survey, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Mine Safety Health Administration, is owned by the General Services Administration. The GSA sought a master plan for the site to take advantage of the development potential brought about by the FasTracks project, which will bring an RTD light-rail line through the property, and by the relocation of St. Anthony Hospital to the site.
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Dems support televising public comments

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1204213176/14...
The organizer of a campaign to return the public comments to televised City Council work sessions is applauding the Pueblo County Democratic Party for taking a stand on the issue. Tucked in among 25 other resolutions passed Saturday at the Pueblo County Democratic convention was a brief statement that the party believes "City Council meetings should be televised for public access and should include public comment open to all Pueblo County residents." Right now, council televises its regular sessions and work sessions on nights when a regular session is held. Last September, however, council moved its public comment period to the non-televised work sessions and Chris Nicoll's Pueblo Citizens for Open Government has been fighting ever since to get the decision reversed.
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February 27, 2008

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - GOP to change tactics on Iraq funding bill

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1204126358/1...
After blocking a series of bills last year aimed at redirecting or withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, Senate Republicans changed tactics Tuesday and agreed to have a full debate on yet another bill that would cut off funding for the U.S. deployment within four months of its enactment. GOP Senate leaders decided to support the cloture vote on legislation from Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., hoping to use the floor debate this week to tout the success of U.S. efforts in Iraq in recent months. Since August, the number of U.S. casualties in Iraq each month has fallen sharply. While President Bush has credited his decision to send an additional 30,000 troops to Iraq last summer, the calmer situation also is due to the August cease-fire declared by the Shiite militias under the control of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr renewed the cease-fire just a week ago, to the relief of U.S. military commanders in Iraq, who privately have told reporters they believe U.S. and Iraqi efforts significantly are reducing al-Sadr's ability to order widespread violence in Baghdad. Colorado Sen. Wayne Allard, a Republican, has been a steady supporter of the Bush administration policy in Iraq and he derided the latest Feingold legislation as a waste of time. It would require the U.S. to shift its efforts to training Iraqi security forces and begin withdrawing American troops. All future funding for keeping U.S. troops in Iraq would stop after 120 days.
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Republicans to honor Allard | News | The Tribune

http://greeleytribune.com/article/20080227/NEWS/673528124...
Longtime U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard will be honored at the upcoming Lincoln Day Dinner, hosted by the Weld County Republican Party. The dinner will be at 7 p.m. March 7 at the University of Northern Colorado Student Center Ballroom, 20th Street and 10th Avenue. "We will pay tribute to our great senator, Wayne Allard, for his service to our state," said party spokeswoman Margie Martinez. "There will be special guest speakers, a live and silent auction, and a pre-event reception for dues contributors at the Chairman's Club Level or above." Meal selection is prime rib, grilled salmon with basil cream sauce, or vegetarian linguine with creamy pesto.
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Debate pits tax base, breaks - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8371924...
On paper, House Bill 1269, which would grant a sales-tax exemption on beetle-kill timber in an effort to rid the forest of the matchsticks, is a no-brainer. It has bipartisan sponsorship. It takes on a timely and important issue. But when it came up in committee last week, it barely made it out alive, passing on a 6-5 vote. "It's undeniable we have to do something about this," Rep. Alice Borodkin, D-Denver, said in voting against the bill. "But right now, I am looking at a fiduciary responsibility I have to the people I represent." For the past several weeks, Democrats in both chambers have been quietly debating a thorny issue: Should they vote for bills that reduce the state's tax revenue while Referendum C is in place? Ref. C is a five-year timeout from constitutional state spending limits. When that window closes in 2010, the highest amount of yearly revenue during the five-year period becomes the new figure on which to calculate future spending limits. The quandary, then, is whether voting for small tax incentives now will bring spending constraints later. And what makes the question all the more difficult, the Democrats say, is that most of the tax-incentive bills — which range from economic development packages to encouraging people to mitigate fire danger around their homes — are worthwhile. "I like most all of the tax credits," Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, said at a Democratic caucus meeting last week. "But it's easier for us to take a position that we support none than picking and choosing."
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Roll call, February 27 : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/27/roll-call-february-27/...
A bill requiring the Department of Agriculture to keep livestock information confidential generated a humorous exchange in the House. "I'm just a city boy, so I have some questions about this mule-burro thing," said Rep. Terrance Carroll, D-Aurora. "If a mule is a hybrid, is it related to a Prius? And then, those burros, what if they don't want to be donkeys. Can we keep them as separate from the donkeys?" "The answer is 'no' and 'yes,' " said Rep. Wes McKinley, D-Walsh. "Rep. McKinley," asked Rep. Judy Solano, D-Brighton, "can you tell me if an elephant is a hybrid of a donkey?" "To answer Rep. Solano's question," said Rep. Mike May, R-Parker, "an elephant is a donkey that pays taxes."
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Under The Dome - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8372056...
The House on Tuesday gave initial approval to a measure meant to tighten a loophole that allows individuals to skirt campaign-contribution limits. House Bill 1233 would eliminate the so-called "LLC gap," which critics say allows individuals to form endless limited-liability companies to give multiple campaign contributions, exceeding what they would otherwise be able to give as individuals. Rep. Joel Judd, D-Denver, the sponsor of the bill, said it would stop a "Daddy Warbucks" contributor from setting up sham LLCs to launder contributions. Republican critics said the bill would further complicate campaign-finance law. The bill passed on a voice vote and must be approved once more by the House before it can go to the Senate.
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Crowley County pact on 2 firings revealed

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1204126358/11...
Crowley County officials have released details of an out-of-court settlement reached in a federal lawsuit filed against the county by Robert Keenan, the county's former human services director, and Eugene Sena, a former case worker. Keenan accepted an $88,000 settlement to end the suit. Sena reached a settlement of $40,000. The two men filed a lawsuit against the Colorado Department of Human Services and the county after both were fired by county commissioners in 2005. The case against the state was dismissed. Keenan said Tuesday that he and Sena settled because the case was wearing on them emotionally and financially.
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February 26, 2008

Lawmakers again facing freebie freeze : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/26/lawmakers-again-facing-freebie...
The Colorado Supreme Court ruling reviving a ban on some gifts to elected officials is expected to put the kibosh on freebies during the legislative session. Say goodbye to lobbysts' wine-and- cheese parties, steak dinners and sports tickets under the Dome. A Denver judge's May injunction freezing the Amendment 41 ethics law remains in effect for two weeks while those who challenged its legality ponder appeals. Legislative leaders told lawmakers Monday to act as if the ethics law were in effect while awaiting advice from legislative lawyers. "You are free to eat - with caution," House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, told lawmakers before they broke for lunch. The amendment approved by voters in 2006 bans all gifts from lobbyists to elected officials, bars gifts from nonlobbyists worth more than $50 to elected officials, and prohibits an elected official from becoming a lobbyist within two years of leaving office. House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, said he was disappointed that the Supreme Court simply ruled that the trial judge overstepped his authority.
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Gifts to governor still in legal limbo : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/26/gifts-to-governor-still-in-leg...
Now that the ethics law will be back in effect in two weeks, will Gov. Bill Ritter be coughing up $1,317 for the five World Series tickets he was given when Amendment 41 was in legal limbo? Like all things about the murky, headache-inducing ethics law, there wasn't a clear-cut answer - at least not from Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer. He said the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling Monday "highlights the importance of getting the fifth and final member (of the independent ethics commission) named and seated quickly." "When that happens, then we can start to present broader policy issues and more specific questions to the commission and begin to resolve some of the uncertainty that remains," Dreyer added. For example, was it OK for the Democratic governor to accept the World Series tickets from Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and two longtime friends after May 31 when a Denver trial judge blocked a provision in the measure that banned freebies of more than $50? "I think that that would be something that could be asked of the commission, that kind of a specific circumstance," Dreyer said.
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Gift ban restored, but ruling leaves much unsettled : Updates : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/26/state-gift-law-revived/...
A Monday court ruling on Amendment 41, the controversial law that limits gifts to government workers, failed to clarify the measure and leaves the door wide open for more court challenges. The state Supreme Court reinstated the gift ban and ordered a lower court to remove an injunction it issued in June. But in its ruling, the court declined to comment on the larger issue of whether the gift ban is constitutional. "The fight over the merits hasn't even begun," said Doug Friednash, a lawyer who sued the state, arguing that Amendment 41 is unconstitutional. "From that perspective, and the perspective of seeking clarification . . . I think there's going to be potentially hundreds of cases. "It's not a question of if, it's a question of when cases are going to go forward." The state's high court said it's too early to challenge the state constitutional amendment, approved by voters in November 2006, because an ethics commission charged with enforcing the measure hasn't completely formed yet. Backers of Amendment 41 applauded the decision, calling it a victory for those pushing for clean government. "Today is a good day for open, honest and accountable government," said Jenny Flanagan, executive director of Colorado Common Cause.
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State employee ethics rules reconsidered : State and West : Boulder Daily Camera

http://dailycamera.com/news/2008/feb/26/ethics-rules-reconsidered/...
A Denver district court had ruled in May the rules went "beyond what was anticipated or intended" and blocked the law from taking effect with an injunction. But the Supreme Court tossed out that ruling and lifted the injunction, saying the lower court did not have jurisdiction. The decision means the ethics rules, called the toughest in the country by the National Conference of State Legislatures, would be back in play after a two week window for opponents to appeal. The rules are part of Amendment 41, a constitutional amendment approved by voters in November 2006. They ban lawmakers from accepting gifts from lobbyists or gifts of more than $50 from anyone. They also ban gifts worth more than $50 to state employees or their families. A group of not-for-profit agencies and individuals had challenged the rules on the grounds they restricted the flow of information and had a chilling effect on people who wanted to talk to policy makers. Their attorneys said they were discussing their next step with their clients. "The overwhelming majority of Coloradoans made it clear that they support a strong ethics reform," said Jared Polis, a Democratic candidate for the 2nd CD seat and a Boulder Internet entrepreneur. "Today's ruling upholds this will of the people and begins to erode the power that special interests and lobbyists have on government.
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Gift ban is back, as clear as ever - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8362741...
Colorado lawmakers and government workers were tossed back into confusion Monday when the state Supreme Court reinstated what some consider an ambiguous and invasive ethics law. The court ruled it was premature to toss out Amendment 41 because a panel to hear alleged violations is not yet in place, but justices did not clarify how far the ethics-in-government measure's power stretches. While supporters of the measure celebrated the news, inside the Capitol there was widespread annoyance at the court for not clearing up the voter-approved law's obscurity. Legislators once again were struggling to interpret Amendment 41, wondering whether they should eat at a bankers' association luncheon Monday or cancel a trip to a convention. "The Supreme Court punted," said House Minority Leader Mike May of Parker. "They sidestepped. We'll be in limbo for a while." Colorado Common Cause executive director Jenny Flanagan, one of the amendment's chief supporters, accused critics of pouring on the hysteria. "This was their campaign tactic from Day One," she said. "They were rejected on Election Day and they were rejected again today. All of those fears that were put out there were mere speculation." Amendment 41 was supported by 60 percent of voters in November 2006.
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Visiting Iraqis will study state government - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8362901...
Iraqi lawmakers will descend on Denver again this week to observe local government and civil society in action. Brought by the U.S. Department of State, 10 Baghdad council members are scheduled to spend three days at the Colorado statehouse and with the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Another group, expected in March, will meet with Denver Rotarians and fire, police and public works officials in southern suburbs. Baghdad-Denver sister city volunteers and the Institute for International Education are hosting the Iraqis.
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Durango Herald Online - Rep. Rose proposes property-tax break for seniors who move

http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&articl...
Seniors who move to a new house would be able to keep their property-tax break under a plan backed by a Southwest Colorado lawmaker. Rep. Ray Rose, R-Montrose, plans to seek voter approval for his plan. But first he needs a two-thirds majority of the Legislature to agree to put it on the ballot, and some lawmakers are worried about the cost. Rose is jointly sponsoring House Concurrent Resolution 1002 with Rep. Dorothy Butcher, D-Pueblo. It will allow people age 65 or older to keep their "homestead exemption" if they move once to a new home in the same county. A separate measure, Senate Concurrent Resolution 1, would allow seniors to move once anywhere in the state and keep their homestead exemption. Currently, seniors are exempt from half of the property taxes on the first $200,000 of their home's value as long as they have lived there at least 10 years. They lose the exemption if they move. But seniors often move to smaller houses as their children grow and leave the house.
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Summit Daily News Gibbs and Scanlan plan for busy year on Capitol Hill (2/24)

http://summitdaily.com/article/20080224/NEWS/496252461...
Sen. Dan Gibbs and Rep. Christine Scanlan held an open town meeting on Sunday to discuss several new bills which ranged from lowering the legal boating blood alcohol level to solving the pine beetle problem. Sen. Gibbs and Rep. Scanlan are looking to get a lot accomplished in 2008, and Sen. Gibbs is already carrying 15 different bills. “I’m carrying a full plate and I’m excited,” said Gibbs. One of the main issues that continues to take precedent for both Sen. Gibbs and Rep. Scanlan is the pine beetle problem. One of the bills being sponsored for 2008 looks to re-authorize the Colorado Forest Restoration Act, which provides cost-sharing grants for up to $1 million for community forest restoration projects. “When we walk around the capitol building we carry our beetles with us,” Sen. Gibbs joked as he pulled out a small plastic bag holding a dead pine beetle.
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Summit Daily News - Highlights from the Legislature on Monday

http://summitdaily.com/article/20080225/NEWS/234622969...
The Senate gave initial backing to a proposal (Senate Bill 139) that would require the state to send quarterly e-mails to employers notifying them of a federal program they can chose to check the legal status of job applicants. Some lawmakers objected because they said the E-Verify program only has a 90 percent accuracy test.
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Roll call, February 26 : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/26/roll-call-february-26/...
"I'd ask you to be cautious about what you eat - and don't eat." House Minority Leader Mike May, warning lawmakers about a state high court ruling reinstating a ban on free lunches and other gifts from lobbyists "Kind of like the kosher rules for us Jews." Rep. Joel Judd, D-Denver, joked
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Vail Daily - Tax revolt group gets some answers, more questions

http://vaildaily.com/article/20080226/NEWS/369061874...
A group of Eagle County residents are now much more informed about why their property tax bills were much higher this year — but they still are not quite sure what to do about it. About 120 residents met for the second meeting of Eagle County Taxpayers for Common Sense at the Eagle-Vail Pavilion on Monday night to vent about the tax increase, question taxing authorities and learn about taxing laws from experts. Penn Pfiffner, director of the Independence Institute’s fiscal policy center, explained why residents’ property taxes went up, and why taxing authorities would be able to legally increase their tax revenues. In Eagle County, assessed values of homes, on which property taxes are based, increased an average of 40 percent. Many taxing districts, including the county, the ambulance districts and most of the towns, chose not to lower their mill levies, or property tax rates, resulting in much higher tax bills. Colorado’s Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights keeps taxing districts from collecting that extra money, but in Eagle County’s case, many districts claim to be exempt from those restrictions, Pfiffner said. Districts can be exempt, or “de-Bruced” by a vote from residents.
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Paschall, Congrove still trading barbs : Politics : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/26/former-allies-friendly-no-more...
They were political allies in the legislature and worked together in the Jefferson County treasurer's office, but whether Republicans Mark Paschall and Jim Congrove were friends is debatable. Paschall says they used to be friends but aren't any more. Congrove says they never were. Whatever their relationship was, it no longer exists, which was made clear two weeks ago. Paschall went on trial on charges that he solicited a kickback from a bonus he approved for an aide at the end of his term as Jefferson County treasurer. The aide told Congrove, who called the district attorney. Paschall was acquitted, in part, Congrove believes, because his attorney, David Lane, is "an expert on smoke and mirrors." "Mark wanted to blame it on everybody else, and the jury bought it," Congrove said. When informed of Congrove's remark, Paschall asked to have it repeated. "Well, that's a good friend," Paschall said. He declined further comment. Lane told a Jefferson County jury that Congrove was mad at Paschall because of an argument over unrelated grand jury testimony. "This case is not about a kickback, it's about political payback," Lane said. "We are here because Jim Congrove hates Mark Paschall with an undying passion."
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The Longmont Times-Call - Weld County residents want their towns’ growth recognized

http://www.timescall.com/News_Story.asp?id=6817...
Weld County leaders need to recognize municipalities’ growth as they develop the next comprehensive plan, residents said during a public forum on Monday. “I came here because I believe in referring county development to county towns,” said Sharon Falcone, a Firestone resident, during Weld County’s open house at the Southwest Weld Services Complex. The meetings allow citizens to give input on what they would like the area to look like during the next 20 years. Many southern Weld County residents made it clear they wanted officials to focus on growth for their area as well as near Greeley.
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News : Tax enforcement now on Montrose County (Montrose, CO)

http://montrosepress.com/articles/2008/02/26/news/doc47c39ece0fb32133008466.txt...
Mixed signals abound concerning sales tax collection, commissioners say, and the county must adopt a position on enforcement. Among issues cropping up is whether small nonprofits with occasional sales need to collect the 1 percent sales tax and the 0.75 percent public safety tax voters approved last November. “We’re just having a terrible time with the Department of Revenue,” Commissioner Bill Patterson said. “There are questions as to what is and is not exempt. Montrose County decided long ago against any exemptions that were not mandated by the state already.”
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February 25, 2008

Grand Junction Sentinel - Mesa County suit against tax freeze moves ahead

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/02/22/022308_11b_Mill_l...
A Mesa County lawsuit aimed at stopping the state’s mill-levy freeze cleared a hurdle with a ruling Friday that the Department of Education can be sued in the case. The decision in Denver District Court clears the way for a trial on the merits of the case, said attorney Richard Westfall, who is prosecuting the case on the county’s behalf, as well as on that of several taxpayers who contend the mill-levy freeze amounted to a tax increase without a vote of the people. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of a property tax law signed last year by Gov. Bill Ritter after it was passed by the Democrat-dominated state Legislature. “It’s a very good development from our standpoint,” Westfall said of the ruling. Judge Christina M. Habas answered the Education Department’s motion to be dismissed as a defendant “with a single word: denied,” Westfall said. “That brevity spoke volumes.” The ruling wasn’t unexpected, said Evan Dreyer, spokesman for Gov. Bill Ritter.
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Senate panel would lift cap on state sales tax

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1203746400/11...
Local governments would be allowed to raise their sales taxes - with voter approval, of course - beyond the state's cap under a bill winning preliminary approval Friday in the Senate. By law, the combined state and local sales-tax rate cannot be more than 6.91 percent, though the cap doesn't apply to special districts or to home-rule cities. But under SB128, localities would be able to propose to their voters sales-tax increases that go even higher. The state shouldn't tell local governments whether or not they can go to their voters to vote on tax increases, said Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus. Senate Minority Leader Andrew McElhany, R-Colorado Springs, opposed the idea, saying the state needs to protect its residents from local governments that might try to impose too high a tax. He said the state has a decentralized tax system that allows Colorado to be among the lowest in state taxes in the nation, but also gives local governments the ability to assess among the highest.
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Metro: This week in the Legislature | bill, colorado, ritter : Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/bill_33507___article.html/colorado_ritter.html...
Monday: The House is scheduled to debate whether the limited entrances and metal detectors that have greeted the public since a July shooting at the Capitol should remain. Thursday: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee takes up the centerpiece of Gov. Bill Ritter’s health care reform package, a bill to expand public insurance access to 45,000 uninsured children. Also, the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee will consider a measure to withdraw Colorado’s consent to the U.S. government to acquire lands by use of eminent domain.
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Northglenn city manager retains job after executive meeting - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_8336481...
The city manager of Northglenn retained his job by a slim margin earlier this month after councilmembers convened a special Sunday meeting to vote on the issue. The resolution on Feb. 10 on whether to fire city manager A.J. Krieger just one year after his hire failed by a vote of 5 to 4. "The consensus among people attending the meeting is it was a kangaroo court to get rid of him," said Ervin Baker, councilman for Ward III. Baker voted in favor of the termination. Councilmembers proposed the resolution in response to a personnel matter involving the city manager and a city staff member. In addition, questions were raised about changes to the city manager's contract approved in December. Those changes included a base salary increase of $10,000 and a severance package increased from 6 months to 9 months.
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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Capitol building going high-tech

http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1203956688/8...
Over the past several years, the Legislature, with help from the Colorado Historical Society, has been making a few changes inside the state Capitol building. Because of fire safety concerns, more stairwells were added to the Capitol to allow people to get out in case of an emergency. As a result, those changes have allowed the Capitol to add a few more extras it didn't have before, such as a new, albeit small, museum in the Capitol attic. Now, House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and a few others are trying to use that extra space to make it a more fun place to visit, particularly for youth who often visit the Capitol in droves.
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