Lawmakers make an agreement on the first day of the session

The scope of the Colorado Legislature’s special session to cut property taxes took clearer shape on its first day Monday as lawmakers shot down a slew of additional bills but moved forward with a major voting deal.

Legislative leaders and the governor are pushing House Bill 1001Most importantly, a $248 million statewide property tax cut could result in Initiatives 50 and 108 being removed from the November ballot. If passed by voters, these measures, which are backed by conservative and business-oriented groups, would force even deeper cuts in the state’s tax rate — directly affecting local property taxes — and implement a strict cap on the amount of tax revenue. can increase every year.

The bill passed its first hurdle late Monday afternoon, gaining approval 8-3 in the House Appropriations Committee and moving to full debate in the House of Representatives.

But that debate won’t happen until Tuesday, making the special session at least one day longer than the three-day minimum for a bill to become law. That means lawmakers will now meet at least through Thursday.

As financial projections were refined, the potential impact became more visible Monday. Sen. Chris Hansen, a Denver Democrat, said an average homeowner in an area with typical mill taxes would see a reduction in the margin of $77 per year — though the impact would vary depending on local conditions. These cuts can also only partially offset tax growth in some areas.

The measure is sponsored by House Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Dillon Democrat, and House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, a Republican from Colorado Springs.

A series of local governments have asked the commission to change the bill, but none more consistently than local fire districts. Fire officials from several counties were angered by the proposal to further cut property taxes, as they are already struggling to keep up with higher daily costs and the ever-increasing danger of longer fire seasons.

Lawmakers on the committee, however, emphasized the choice they saw between the bill’s cuts and the risk of “draconian” cuts to the initiatives.

Most lawmakers and witnesses agreed the risk was too great.

“We are faced with the choice of responsible governance, and I truly believe we must pass a bill to ensure these terrible initiatives are halted, while at the same time providing additional responsible assistance that will ensure critical services are protected,” said Rep. Kyle Brown, a Democrat from Louisville, before voting for the measure.

The firefighters said they preferred to fight the ballot measures during the fall campaign season than face more deaths from a dozen legislative cuts.

If fire departments can’t keep their doors open, Elizabeth Fire Department Chief TJ Steck warned in an interview, it will also jeopardize homeowners’ ability to get insurance, let alone afford it. can afford.

“I would ask you to vote no (on this bill) simply because we would have a chance to survive,” he said.

The groups supporting the initiatives, including Advance Colorado and Colorado Concern, reiterated their pledge to repeal the measures in a letter to the Legislature Monday morning — if the legislation is signed by Gov. Jared Polis as agreed.

In the weeks leading up to the special session, they struck a deal with legislative leaders and the governor. It includes specific figures on assessment rates, caps on revenue increases and language on how local governments should ask their voters to override the caps.

The opaqueness of the deal — its edges and the sense among some lawmakers that they have been recalled just to rubber-stamp it — has been a simmering point of tension among the Democratic majority. That tension came to the fore during the committee meeting.