Transcript Wheat Ridge
November 7, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwheatridgenews.com
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 30, Issue 20
Education funding measure defeated A66 would have created new taxes to overhaul schools By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com A ballot measure intended to overhaul the way that Colorado schools are funded suffered a sound defeat on Nov. 5. Voters by a resounding margin rejected Amendment 66 on election night, a measure that would have created at least $950 million in new taxes annually to fund major school reforms across the state. It was never close. After early returns showed the measure to be doomed, the only matters in question were how wide of a margin the ballot measure would fail and at what time would supporters publically admit defeat — that occurred about an hour after 7 p.m. poll closings. As of the early morning of Nov. 6, Amendment 66 had been rejected by about 66 percent of voters, with 91 percent precincts reporting. “Perhaps this wasn’t the right transaction,” Gov. John Hickenlooper acknowledged to a room of muted and disappointed supporters from inside downtown Denver’s Marriot Denver City Center. Trying to remain positive, the governor also said that “no one fought against” the measure’s vision of making funding for Colorado schools a model for the rest of the nation. Hickenlooper said he will continue to strive toward achieving that goal. “Every great social victory in the history of this country was based on a number of failures,” Hickenlooper said. Meanwhile, Amendment 66 opponents reacted. “Colorado families spoke loud and clear,” said Kelly Maher, executive director
Gov. John Hicklenlooper addresses Amendment 66 supporters inside the ballroom at the Marriot Denver City Center on Nov. 5. The measure, which would have created at least $950 million in new taxes annually to fund an overhaul of Colorado schools, was rejected by voters. Photo by Vic Vela of Compass Colorado, a group that worked to oppose Amendment 66. “We need substantive outcome-driven reforms to the educational system before we ask families and small businesses to foot a major tax bill.” The measure sought to fund full-day kindergarten, preschool for at-risk youth and would have provided more resources for English language learners, special education students and children who are in gifted and talented programs. Additionally, the measure aimed to re-
duce class sizes and would have reformed per-pupil funding statewide in a more equitable fashion, proponents argued. While the reforms may have sounded good to many people, even the governor acknowledged that the hefty price tag associated with overhauling the new funding system was responsible for turning off many voters. The measure would have raised taxes on all Colorado taxpayers. The two-tiered proposal would raise income taxes to 5 percent on everyone earning $75,000 or less.
Those who earn over that amount would pay 5 percent on the first $75,000 in taxable income and 5.9 percent on taxable income above $75,000. Colorado’s current income tax rate is a flat 4.63 percent, regardless of income level. The measure sought to put in place Legislation that was enacted through Senate Bill 213. The Democrat-sponsored bill — which was signed by Hickenlooper in June — did not receive a single vote from Republican lawmakers. Republicans and other critics blasted the school funding overhaul as a “billion dollar tax hike” that comes at a time when Coloradans are barely coming out of a recession. They also argued that Senate Bill 213 did not put in place the kind of reforms to warrant that kind of a tax increase. Opponents also argued that much of the revenue that would have been raised through Amendment 66 would have ended up going to school districts other than the ones where taxpayers’ children attend. The measure was rejected in just about every area of the state. For example, late returns showed that the measure was failing badly in Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, El Paso and Jefferson counties. The only large counties that could end up seeing majority support when the votes are officially tallied are Denver and Boulder. The campaign that drove Amendment 66, Colorado Commits to Kids, had a huge fundraising advantage over its opposition, having collected more than $9 million for the measure’s messaging efforts. “Honestly, you could have had the best messaging in the world, I just think that people felt it was too expensive,” Hickenlooper told reporters after his remarks. Maher said afterward, “Never has so much been spent by so few to accomplish so little.”
Residents eye Gold Line station plans By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com Denver Metro area residents and officials recently converged on the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center to take part in an interactive forum having to do with the forthcoming Gold Line — a commuter rail line that will soon provide transportation between downtown Denver and Wheat Ridge, and places in between. The Oct. 30 event provided an opportunity for the public to weigh in on plans for amenities that will be located along the Gold Line’s stations, when the rail line begins operating in 2016. The 11.2 mile Gold Line will provide service from Denver’s Union Station to Wheat Ridge, with stops along the way in northwest Denver, Adams County and Arvada. An 85-foot long commuter train that will have the capacity to carry 232 passengers will stop at seven stations once it leaves Union Station. Individual planning groups are currently in
the process of figuring out what kinds of amenities will surround each station, be they housing, businesses or recreation opportunities. “What we’ve done here tonight is to provide an opportunity to bring in the public and said, ‘This is what these folks have done. Do you agree with it? Do you think we’ve missed the mark?’” said Paul Aldretti, a sustainable communities coordinator for the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Aldretti’s group is behind the Sustainable Communities Initiative, which is providing planning and implementation activities for the Gold Line, and two other Denver-area commuter rails that will begin operation 2016. Each station has its own working group that drive plans around the Gold Line stops. The groups are made up of representatives from public works, planning, economic development and other fields. Those groups receive feedback from separate, corridor stakeholder committees., which
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are made up of residents and representatives from the small business community. Those who attended the forum were able to “walk the line” of the Gold Line corridor, where they could see each station’s vision, opportunities and challenges, as they relate to station planning. Each station’s goals vary. The two Adams County stations, which be called the Pecos and Federal stations, look to serve as “employment centers” for the county, offering “a strong industrial jobs base” there. Arvada will have three stations along the corridor: Sheridan, Old Towne and Arvada Ridge. The Sheridan Station hopes to “provide diverse employment opportunities.” And the vision behind the Arvada Old Towne Station seeks to revitalize Old Towne “as a vibrant, 18-hour downtown” that will provide “additional retail, employment, dining and living opportunities” there. Each station has its own challenges, as well. For example, environmental factors could affect development along the Pecos Junction Station. Much of the area is a former landfill and there could be floodplain issues there. And high land prices that would surround the Arvada Olde Towne Station might make affordable housing in that area difficult to come by. Attendees were also able to provide input on what they would
Wally Weart of the Gold Line Advisory Committee speaks as model trains that show the difference between an RTD light rail train and a commuter rail train are displayed during an Oct. 30 forum inside the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center. Commuter trains along the Gold Line will provide transportation between Denver’s Union Station and Wheat Ridge. Photo by Vic Vela like to see in each of the stations. For example, the Arvada Ridge station, which will be located in close proximity to Red Rocks Community College, received several comments that had to do with bicycle parking and opportunities for student housing. Wheat Ridge hopes to create a “mixed-use ‘village’ with a slightly urban character” to the Ward Station. City Councilwoman Joyce Jay, who attended the forum, said it’s “exciting” to think about what that could entail, when all is said and done. “I mean, the possibilities are endless,” said Jay. “Employment
and attractive, higher density housing ... We could have a theater area; it could be a destination for Wheat Ridge.” The Gold Line is an RTD FasTracks project that has received funding through a $1 billion federal grant. Groundbreaking for the Gold Line corridor occurred at the future Arvada Old Towne Station in 2011.
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