Gov. Jared Polis has made a big mistake calling for another special session to further cut property taxes.
Yes, property taxes have caused concern for many Coloradans in recent years. But those concerns have largely been alleviated thanks to two back-to-back property tax cuts in 2023 and 2024 session. Going after more cuts now isn’t necessary. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the bipartisan lawmakers who already helped reduce property taxes with Senate Bill 233 this year:
“I’m incredibly proud to be part of this legislation,” said House Minority Rose Pugliese, a Republican in Colorado Springs.
“This policy reflects some very tough choices, but finds meaningful property tax reductions while protecting the future of our K-12 funding,” said Rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy, a Lakewood Democrat.
“A great opportunity for the citizens of Colorado,” said Republican Rep. Lisa Frizell of Castle Rock.
“Really proud of this work,” said Sen. Chris Hansen, a Denver Democrat.
The bipartisan bill made “long-term rate cuts for homeowners and businesses and a local revenue cap” while protecting the state’s budget from Initiatives 50 and 108. According to legislators, the bill was at least partly the “product of negotiations with Colorado Concern.”
Unfortunately, Colorado Concern and Advance Colorado, the two far-right groups supporting the initiatives, now claim the bill didn’t go far enough and have withdrawn support, essentially blackmailing the General Assembly with continued support of the initiatives unless they appeal further. It’s a slap in the face to all Coloradans, particularly those who fought hard for a solution.
This raises the question of why Polis would attempt to strike a deal with the groups that have already proved themselves untrustworthy. It’s a failing strategy to try twice, not to mention it undermines the two property tax cuts that have already happened in the past year.
Polis calling for another special session also threatens the state’s finances. The consensus from Democrats and Republicans alike was that further cuts to property taxes at this time could be “seriously crippling the state’s budget.” That’s how Senate Bill 233 came to be agreed upon in the first place. Bringing legislators back to the drawing board now is not only futile, it’s dangerous.
For context, there’s reason to worry about Initiatives 50 and 108 if they land on the ballot. Initiative 108 alone would cut some $3 billion in taxes during the first year and require the state to reimburse local governments and schools. That’s about 8% of the total state budget making it completely unfeasible. Lawmakers agreed, with Frizell calling the measures “catastrophic” should they be passed, hence bipartisan support for 233.
And that’s the thing. The initiatives are so bad that everyone agrees they are terrible, meaning we should let them go to the ballot box. Even if the groups spend big money trying to falsely sway voters, robbing Coloradans of the chance to reject the measures misses a much-needed opportunity to slap down extremists who insist on perpetuating the property tax wars for their own personal gain.
Polis’ attempt at a deal to make more cuts if the initiatives are withdrawn won’t fix it, and if anything it will embolden the bullies. It’s a weak move by a governor who frankly should know better.
It comes down to this: A special session, by definition, should be special. Property tax cuts in Colorado have already been addressed with rates now in the low to average rankings nationally. There is simply no urgent matter to warrant bringing legislators back under the dome for the same issue again. It’s just not what a special session is for.
Besides, if saving Coloradans money is truly the goal, there are better ways to do it. We could finally tackle our bloated health care insurance costs or the high cost of car insurance, two issues that disproportionately impact Coloradans.
Now those could be worthy of a special session.
Trish Zornio is a scientist, lecturer and writer who has worked at some of the nation’s top universities and hospitals. She’s an avid rock climber and was a 2020 candidate for the U.S. Senate in Colorado.
