Colorado taxpayers should see hefty refund checks

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

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 governor’s o ce predicted.

e state may now have to refund nearly $1 billion more than originally expected, nonpartisan Legislative Council Sta and the governor’s Ofce 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.

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 2021-22 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 refund checks based on which of six income tiers they fall into.

People in the lowest tier, who make up to $50,000 a year, were expected to receive refund checks of $454 for single lers or $908 for joint lers. For those in the highest tier, who make $279,001 or more, the checks were expected to be $1,434 for single lers and $2,688 for joint lers. e improved economic outlook would mean larger refunds for people in every tier, though people in the top tier would bene t most. e refund amounts are determined by how much money the state government collects above the TABOR cap on government growth and spending. e cap is calculated by annual growth in population and in ation. e governor’s O ce of State Planning and Budgeting now expects the TABOR cap to be exceeded in the current scal year by $3.527 billion — an increase of about $870 million over what they projected in March.

People in the lowest tier would now receive refund checks of $587 for single lers or $1,174 for joint lers. For those in the highest tier, the checks would now be $1,854 for single lers and $3,708 for joint lers.

Colorado taxpayers will get their refund checks next year after they le their taxes.

Nonpartisan Legislative Council Sta now expects the TABOR cap to be exceeded in the current 2022-23 scal year, which ends June 30, by $3.31 billion — an increase of roughly $600 million over what they projected in March.

Greg Sobetski, the chief economist for Legislative Council Sta , called the increases a “signi cant upward revision.” e updates were presented to the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, which received its quarterly economic and tax revenue forecasts from LCS and OSPB. While the end of the scal year is fast approaching, it will be months before the state knows exactly how much money it collected over the TABOR cap.

Both LCS and OSPB said betterthan-expected corporate income tax revenue was a large driver of the improvements.

Legislative Council Sta and the governor’s O ce of State Planning and Budgeting forecasts state government to collect tax revenue in excess of the TABOR cap through at least the 2024-25 scal year, which ends June 30, 2025.

Emily Dohrman, an economist with Legislative Council Sta , said the risk of recession has also decreased.

“ e economy is still showing positive growth, but slower growth than what we saw through most of 2022,” she told the JBC. “Our forecast is anticipating that growth will continue to slow through the end of 2023 but then return to a more moderate pace of growth in 2024 and 2025.”

She said there’s still a risk of an economic downturn, but that risk is lower than it was in March.

Polis touted the forecasts presented to the JBC. He said Colorado’s economy remains strong and that it’s evidence the state “continues to be the best place to live, work and do business.” e next quarterly tax revenue and economic forecasts will be presented to the JBC in September. e panel in November will begin drafting the state’s 2024-25 scal year budget, which takes e ect on July 1, 2024. e full legislature will vote on the spending plan after it reconvenes in January. is story via e Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver that covers the state. For more, visit www.ColoradoSun.com. e Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, which owns Colorado Community Media.

Meek speci cally asked about the intent of language ensuring students won’t be “compelled to share personal information or make statements about themselves, or regarding others, that con ict with their deeply held personal beliefs or circumstances.”

Meek pressed Peterson to say whether the policy would allow misgendering under this clause and he con rmed it would.

Misgendering is when a person uses the incorrect pronouns to addres another individual. For example not using they/them when a person asks for those pronouns speci cally.

“I would interpret that in this case that students would not be compelled to use the word him (for a trans male student), but they would still be required to treat that student with respect,” Peterson said.

Meek questioned how respect could be maintained in that situation.

“If other students refuse to use their pronouns or intentionally misgender, that is a form of harassment, which, not only is it wrong, but we would be opening ourselves up to litigation,” she said.

“We have heard over and over from our community that we are struggling with homophobic slurs in the classroom and racial slurs and other forms of bullying. So I would ask us to think deeply about the language that we are using so that we are respecting and honoring all of the students in our classrooms.”

Colorado law bans discrimination on the basis of gender or gender identity in places of public accomodation, including schools, according to the Colorado Department of Education. Meek also asked why Peterson included language about disclosing information related to a student’s identity to their parents. Peterson said the intent is to prevent the district from keeping information on how a student identi es from their parents.

“We cannot have any policy or any guidance in this district that encourages deception,” he said.

Peterson argued the changes aren’t political, but are aimed at restoring trust with parents.

“ e one paragraph insertion I put in the policy is not for conservative parents, it’s not for liberal parents, it’s not for libertarian parents or those in the middle - it is independent of identity,” he said. e board delayed voting on the policy changes on May 23 to get feedback from the District Accountability Committee, or DAC.

In addition to Peterson’s changes, the policy will also be updated to match the 2021 National Standards for Family-School Partnerships from the National Parent Teacher Association.

Beyond the substance of the policy changes, Meek and Ray expressed frustration with the process the board was taking to approve the changes.

On June 15, the accountability committee requested more time to deliver that feedback, but a majority of the board members were ready to move forward with voting on the changes without the committee’s input.

“While I respect the DAC’s request for more time, I personally feel like there has been enough time for them to know this has been a board item and that we were going to vote on it,” board member Kaylee Winegar said. “We actually delayed it last time for their comments and recommendations and they haven’t provided that.”

Board member Christy Williams agreed, noting the committee can still review the policy in the future.

“I suggested earlier that we put (the parent engagement policy) onto their next year’s agenda and then come back again, and I think that certainly gives them an entire year (to discuss),” she said.

Members of the District Accountability Committee told the board during public comment they were disappointed with the decision to ignore their request for more time.

“I don’t understand how you can do a parent engagement policy and the parents that stand up to volunteer their time for this district get ignored,” Julie Gooden, a District Accountability Committee member, said.

In a statement, the Douglas County Federation, the union representing local teachers, said it’s a teacher’s job to create a safe and welcoming classroom for all students.

“Our district is no place for deeply held beliefs that result in disregarding or shaming any student,” the statement said.

Family Fun Ride & Stroll at Lone Tree Elementar y

9am: Decorate / 9:30am: Start

This one is for the whole family so come decorate your bikes, scooters, wagons, strollers, unicycles, or just yourself and join us as we make our way down the Willow Creek Trail, on this 1-mile trek.

For details on the route, parking, etc. visit www.cityoflonetree.com/cityevents/july4

Tuesday, July 4th

Family Fun Park at Prairie Sky Ball Fields

10am-1pm

Enjoy inflatables, games, live entertainment, food trucks, and more! This event requires PRE-REGISTRATION for everyone attending. Parking will be available at the Lone Tree Rec Center.

To register visit: www.cityoflonetree.com/cityevents/july4 then scroll down to the Family Fun Park section and register.

Party in the Park at Prairie Sky Park Event Schedule

7pm-10pm

Enjoy a live concert with solo, acoustic artist, Jenny Shawhan and headliner

Uptown Funk: Tribute to Bruno Mars! We encourage you to bring your blankets, camping chairs, coolers, outdoor games and mingle with your friends and neighbors as we prepare for the main event of the evening, fireworks!

6 PM: Shuttle service begins

7 PM:

Jenny Shawhan, Acoustic Artist

8 PM:

Uptown Funk: Tribute to Bruno Mars

9:30 PM: Fireworks

10:30 PM: Shuttle service ends