Transcript Wheat Ridge
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 30, Issue 2
July 4, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwheatridgenews.com
Local police to patrol for fireworks By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com Wheat Ridge police will beef up patrols over the holiday weekend in an effort to strictly enforce laws against using fireworks within city limits. Fireworks of any kind, including fountains and sparklers, are illegal to use in Wheat Ridge and being caught doing so can result in being ticketed, jailed or both.
The police department said in a recent press release that threats of wildfires and other safety concerns are issues for residents to keep in mind over the Independence Day weekend. “It all comes down to community safety,” said Police Chief Dan Brennan. “The department experiences a large increase in calls for service around this time of year related to the illegal use of fireworks. Calls like these take away from our time to work on
more serious calls for service.” Brennan urges residents who wish to partake in Fourth of July festivities to do so in parts of the metro Denver area where celebrations are planned. Wheat Ridge Mayor Jerry DiTullio posted a similar message on his website. “Help keep Wheat Ridge safe during the upcoming holiday by minimizing the risk of fire, property damage and personal injury caused by fireworks,” DiTullio
wrote. Residents who have fireworks can surrender them to the Wheat Ridge Fire Department “with no questions asked,” the police press release states. Those who violate the fireworks ban face up to a year in jail and fines that can be as high as $999. Offenders could face felony charges if fireworks usage results in serious bodily injury or property damage.
Tax hike vote taking shape Organizers plan ballot question on school funding By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com
Julie Elkjer, left, with the care-assistance group Touching Hearts at Home, speaks with LGBT advocate Shari Wilkins during last week’s Aging Well in Jefferson County Summit.
Jeffco seniors seek to age gracefully Summit highlights efforts to assist the aging By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com
County Aging Well Project Manager Susan Franklin stands next to Wheat Ridge Mayor Jerry DiTullio. Both spoke at the introduction to the fifth annual Aging Well in Jefferson County Summit. Photos by Glenn Wallace POSTAL ADDRESS
Showing some longevity, the fifth annual Aging Well in Jefferson County summit took place June 25 at WaterStone Community Church in Littleton. “I know a lot of other counties that try to do this, and it dwindles after a few years. Not Jefferson County,” County Aging Well Project Manager Susan Franklin told this year’s attendees. Franklin said 2013 also marked the fifth year of the county’s 20year strategic plan to assist and accommodate the retiring babyboomer generation, which has contributed to giving Jeffco the highest 60-plus population of all Colorado counties. “We want to make Jefferson County the best county to live in,” Franklin said, adding that the summit was also designed to help highlight senior issues and increase networking among agencies, charities, and care workers who work with seniors. This year’s introductory speaker was Wheat Ridge Mayor Jerry DiTullio. He said that with one in four of his residents being older than 60 years old, the pressure on senior services would continue. DiTullio said he was happy to see the city’s involvement in a private-public partnership lead to the construction of 88 new senior housing apartments and its partnering with the Senior Resource Center to offer senior residents a circulator bus. DiTullio shared a story of how his family helped his mother stay in her Wheat Ridge home, aging in place. “Seems to me, it’s better than putting them in a facility, if that’s what they want,” DiTullio said. The theme for this year’s summit was “Living on the Edge,” addressing lower-income seniors. The roughly 200 summit attendees chose from a range of workshops presented in basic categories: intellectual and developmental disabilities; basic needs; social and civic engagement; housing; caregiving and support services; health (mental, wellness, prevention); transportation; and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. Shari Wilkins, a director at the state’s Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual and Transgender Center, said many of the issues facing seniors — including social isolation and financial instability — are often worse for gay seniors. “This is one of the few times I’m aware of, in Colorado for sure, that a plan like this looks at the gay and lesbian populations specifically,” Wilkins said. Gay seniors are more likely to be closeted, less likely to have children, and less likely to have a spouse. Those who are in long-term relationships also lack access to many medical and financial spousal benefits, Wilkins said.
The tax initiative tied to funding of a major overhaul of Colorado’s school finance formula has been determined, and the campaign that’s behind it now has a name. Now, the real work for organizers begins: Getting signatures for a ballot proposal and, ultimately, trying to sell voters on the need for supporting about $950 million in new taxes that will be Report used to reshape how schools are funded. A committee that is calling itself Colorado Commits to Kids announced last week that they will work to put a two-tiered income tax increase on the ballot this fall. The tax initiative, which will impact higher wage earners more, will support the funding needed to enact Senate Bill 213, a major rewrite of the School Finance Act. The act, which was passed by the Legislature earlier this year, would create full-day kindergarten, provide preschool for at-risk children, and would put more money into needs-based programs for special education students and children who are learning English. The legislation also aims to increase perpupil funding for school districts across the state that supporters say would be done in a more equitable fashion than the current system allows. “We are eager to have a vigorous debate when the campaign begins in earnest,” said Curtis Hubbard, on behalf of Colorado Commits to Kids. “We’ve worked almost two years on this, trying to support the right measure. We think we’ve hit on the right system.” Right now, Colorado’s current income tax rate is a flat 4.63 percent, regardless of income level. The initiative will ask voters to approve an addition 0.37 percent in taxes
Capitol
Tax continues on Page 5
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