2023 Voting Guide - Business on the Ballot
2023 Voting Guide
With the 2023 election less than a month away, and ballots hitting mailboxes this week, the Pike’s Peak Region must once again weigh a number of issues affecting the state, regional, and city levels of government. The Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC has identified and reviewed two key issues that have the potential to affect the business community in our region, leading to the recommendations in this ballot guide. All issues are reviewed by the Chamber & EDC’s Government Affairs Council (GAC) which makes position recommendations that are reviewed by the Board of Directors. The Ballot Guide offers a summary of the key factors that led the GAC and Board to take their recommended positions.
- Local Ballot
- State Ballot
- Voter Information
Ballot Issue 2A: Tabor Retention for New Police Academy
Chamber & EDC Position: Support
Initiative 2A will ask voters to allow the City of Colorado Springs to retain approximately $4.75 million for the purpose of funding a new police academy, more specifically providing new training facilities.
If approved by voters, the retained $4.75 million would be used to acquire necessary property and begin the project design phase. The estimated overall cost of the new facility is between $39 and $45 million.
If refunded, the TABOR dollars would take the form of an approximately $21 credit for each Colorado Springs Utilities account.
The Chamber & EDC considered the need for additional law enforcement training capacity by CSPD, along with the overall need to maintain Colorado Springs’ reputation as a clean and safe place to do business. Additionally, since the ballot language limits the request to a one-time retention and one time spend directed toward construction and no personnel costs, the Chamber & EDC feel there is a responsible level of transparency in the request.
Proposition HH: Property Tax Changes and Revenue Change Measure
Chamber & EDC Position: Oppose
Proposition HH is a measure referred from the legislature in the last days of the 2023 legislative session, addressing rapidly rising property taxes. In coordination with companion legislation, HH would allow the State to retain a designated portion of upcoming TABOR refunds and, in turn, allow the utilization of a modified property tax formula that is intended to reduce property tax increases on Colorado Citizens. The retained refund would then be intended for use to backfill uncollected but anticipated revenues for local governments and school districts regularly receiving property tax revenues.
While HH is being billed as a property tax offset, it is not clear, upon further examination, that the retained funds would be either used to significant long-term effect or that their retention would result in significant and sustainable offsets to current property tax increases.
In addition to the retention of the TABOR refunds, HH would increase the state spending cap by up to $2.2 billion after ten years. The bulk of the dollars both retained and addressed under this expansion would go toward school districts to offset and revenue changes under the reworked formula.
In review, the Chamber & EDC had objections to the manner in which the enabling legislation was passed during the 2023 session; being introduced with less than a week remaining, as well as the relatively small impact its approval would have for residential property tax rates. Additionally, the Chamber & EDC was very concerned at the drastic expansion of the state spending cap without a clear indication that such an expansion could be covered by revenues separate from estimated TABOR refunds.
Ultimately, the Chamber & EDC determined HH to be a dramatic spending expansion with a serious possibility of becoming an unfunded mandate while being marketed to voters as a simple property tax mitigation measure.
Colorado has a voting system in which all active, registered voters receive a ballot in the mail. Voters also have the option to vote in person at a Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC).
In order to receive your ballot in the mail, you must register to vote, or update your address/registration, if necessary, within 8 days of the Election. For the 2023 Coordinated Election, that deadline is October 30th.
That deadline allows time for processing and mailing your ballot. You can register to vote or update your registration prior to that deadline online at www.govotecolorado.gov.
After the deadline, you can still register to vote, and you also can update your registration and receive your ballot. Both may be done at an El Paso County Voter Service & Polling Centers
through Election Day.
Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs) are one-stop vote locations where you can register to vote, update your registration, vote in person and drop off your voted mail ballot all in one place. For each election, we will have several conveniently located VSPCs throughout El Paso County.
You may go to any VSPC to transact business, drop your ballot or vote.
If voting in person at a Voter Service & Polling Center, you will be asked to provide identification.
If you prefer to vote on a ballot marking device, the ICX machine is available.
Locations of Voter Service and Polling Centers can be found here.