Commerce City school receives $50,000 in security, other upgrades Colorado taxpayers should see hefty refund checks

Good news on revenues means more money coming

back to residents

Colorado taxpayers will be sent even larger refund checks next year than expected after state tax revenues nished the scal year much higher than budget analysts for the legislature and in the e state may now have to refund nearly $1 billion more than originally expected, nonpartisan Legislative Council Sta and the governor’s O ce of State Planning and Budgeting told state lawmakers in June, increasing refund checks by hundreds of dollars per person.

Exactly how large those Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights refund checks will be remains in ux, in part because the number will be determined by whether voters pass Proposition HH in November, a 10-year property tax relief plan from Democrats in the General Assembly and Gov. Jared Polis.

BY TEDDY JACOBSEN TJACOBSEN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Kemp Elementary School in Commerce City has received tens of thousands of dollars in security upgrades at no cost from a company that has donated similar systems to rural schools around the state.

Convergint, an international company that designs, installs and services electronic security systems, donated its services as part of an annual social responsibility day, where its 9,200 employees participate in a day of service in their respective communities. e e ort brought $3 million in equipment and labor to schools and security upgrades to 32 schools in three states, including

Colorado.

Convergint Director of Business Development Stephen Fisher said the security portion of the annual program is called STEP Up. It is an initiative to help strengthen school security as part of the company’s social responsibility day.

“ ere’s a lot of noise in the security space around K-12,” Fisher said. “And we are a trusted business partner who is product-agnostic and who has no agenda other than to create a safe environment for teachers and students and people on campus.” e company installs and services electronic security, cybersecurity, re and life safety, building automation and audio-visual systems. e backdrop to such upgrades are concerns about security across the county, especially amid ongoing incidents, including shootings at schools. According to a survey done by the Institute of Education Sciences, an independent, nonpartisan statistics arm of the U.S. Department of Education, around 58% of elementary schools reported at least one instance of violent crime in the 2019-20 academic year, the most recent data available. And, 45% reported at least once instance of nonviolent crime.

Fisher said Convergint typically provides alert technology in the schools that could inform rst e legislature passed a bill in the nal three days of its 2023 lawmaking term, which ended May 8, that would make the refund check amounts the same for everyone if voters pass Proposition HH. ey were originally expected to be about $650 for single lers and roughly $1,300 for joint lers, but could now be roughly $850 for single lers and $1,700 for joint lers.

Last year, Colorado taxpayers received TABOR refund checks of $750 or $1,500 to account for surplus collected in the 202122 scal year, which ended June 30, 2022.

If Proposition HH fails, the refund checks would be tied to income levels. Under the default refund system — called the six-tier sales tax refund mechanism — people who make more money get bigger

SEE REFUND, P5

Farm to Market tickets on sale

Tickets for Farm to Table, a fundraising event for the Platte Valley Medical Foundation scheduled for Aug. 17 or on sale now.

e Foundation’s biennial fundraising campaign will bene t women’s health services to help women connect with the care they need throughout their adult years and to support area women who do not always prioritize their own health needs. e foundation hopes to raise $500,000 in the campaign cycle. ey conduct multiple fundraising e orts annually with Farm to Table as the largest event.

Farm to Table will be at 6 p.m. Aug. 17 on the hospital campus. Platte Valley Medical Center’s Chef Mike Anderson uses produce donated by area farmers to create a gourmet meal for about 450 guests.

e event garners so much support that it often sells out long before the date. is year, Muñoz reserved a block of tickets that are available to the public for $75 each. ey are available at https://ftt2023.cbo.io.

A Stroll in the Garden for CASA e Court Appointed Special Advocate program, or CASA, for the 11th Judicial District is promoting one of its major fundraisers now scheduled for September. is Garden Party will be full of delicious food and drinks, fantastic auction prizes, exciting entertainment, and more! Indulge for CASA is presented by the Kenneth & Myra Monfort Charitable Foundation.

CASA is inviting supporters to come enjoy a Stroll in the Garden at this year’s Indulge for CASA Gala from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 13 at Denver’s Balistreri Vineyards, 1946 E 66th Ave.

CASA’s mission is to provide courtappointed volunteer advocacy for children and youth from the child welfare system so every child can be safe, have a permanent home, and have the opportunity to thrive.

Annual Stars & Stripes Event to Feature Singer Thomas Mac e annual pre-Independence Day celebration at Riverdale Regional Park is back! Mark your calendars for the third of July celebration. Ward Electric presents a free evening in the park with country singer, omas Mac, and a festive display of reworks.

Food and beverage vendors will begin serving at 4 p.m. Enjoy live music followed by the 9:30 p.m. reworks show.

For the safety and comfort of your pets and all event attendees, please keep your furry friends at home for the Stars & Stripes event. Visitors are kindly reminded that most reworks are illegal in Adams County; please leave reworks of any type to our professionals.

For more event information and Park Rules, visit riverdaleregionalpark.org or call 303 637-8000.

Work Options FREE Culinary Training Program e Adams County Human Services Department is partnering with local nonpro t Work Options to provide a free culinary training program for residents.

Program participants train with professional chefs over a six-week course and earn certi cations and up to $400 per month. Work Options also o ers food truck internships.

In addition to the training program, Work Options provides the Human Services Center 11860 Pecos

St., Westminster, with a full menu of breakfast and lunch options including breakfast burritos, pastries, burgers, pizza, daily specials, and more in the Mountain View Café. e café is located on the third oor of HSC. Learn more about the program at workoptions.org.

Brighton residents encouraged to take community survey e City of Brighton is launching e National Community Survey (NCS) through Polco NRC (National Research Center) to get resident input on a wide range of community issues ranging from crime and safety and employment opportunities to overall quality of life. e City of Brighton last worked with Polco to conduct a community survey in 2021. e National Community Survey allows Brighton to compare results and benchmark residents’ opinions against other communities across the country. e survey will include questions about quality of life, important characteristics of community, services provided by the City, and priorities for the future. e survey will be available online in English and Spanish. Responses will remain anonymous and per- sonal information will be securely stored on Polco. Once results are in, they will be analyzed by Polco, then presented to City Council. e grant is part of GOCO’s Land Acquisition program, which supports urban and rural landscape, waterway, and habitat protection priorities and improves access to the outdoors. e High Line Canal is in a time of transition as its owner, Denver Water, reduces its reliance on the Canal for irrigation delivery. e High Line Canal Conservancy is planning for its future as a recreational, ecological, historical, and stormwater resource.

An estimated 3,000 households in Brighon should begin receiving surveys in the mail asking them to participate, and their responses will be weighted and analyzed for the survey results. Following the distribution of the mailed surveys, an online version of the same survey will be available for the rest of the community to complete in late July. More information will be sent out on the online survey when it becomes open. All residents will be able to complete the online survey by visiting www.brightonco.gov/survey.

Residents with questions about the survey may contact the City of Brighton by email at communications@ brightonco.gov.

GOCO $350K grant goes to the High Line Canal preservation work E orts to protect the High Line Canal as a regional open space picked up a $350,000 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado.

High Line Canal is a 71-mile, 860acre corridor provides valuable recreation access for the Denver-metro region. It winds through some of its most diverse communities, connecting neighbors to schools, community centers, and more than 8,000 acres of parks and open spaces. e canal spans communities in Denver, Douglas, Adams, and Arapahoe Counties, passing through a diversity of Front Range ecosystems along the way.

State youth council needs members e Colorado legislature’s nonpartisan Colorado Youth Advisory Council has openings for new members across the state for the 2023-25 term.

1-8, and 9-10.

Monday-Thursday 8:00-4:00 (All grades)