Ed Bircham
A group that wants to phase out property taxes in Colorado Springs soon will be able to start collecting signatures to place a proposed initiative on the November ballot.
The city’s Initiative Title Setting Review Board cleared the language Thursday that will appear on petitions that the group plans to circulate before an Aug. 8 deadline.
“The title board is not to either approve or disapprove of the initiative,” City Attorney Chris Melcher said during the title board hearing.
“We don’t express any opinion as to the subject matter of the initiative but whether or not it simply meets the requirements to move forward,” he said. “I think it does meet the requirements to move forward.”
The group must collect 27,215 valid voter signatures, City Clerk Sarah Johnson said.
The group, led by 70-year-old Roger McCarville, who moved to Colorado Springs about 16 months ago, was represented at the hearing by retired businessman Ed Bircham, a member of the petitioner’s committee.
“I think this would stimulate the economy,” Bircham said. “It would help small business.”
City officials disagree, saying the proposed charter change would have devastating consequences and force the city to cut various services.
The city, which is grappling with an infrastructure backlog estimated at more than $1 billion, has a general fund budget of about $223 million. Property tax revenue is expected to bring in about $19.7 million this year.
Under the proposed ballot measure, property taxes would phase out in five years.
Bircham said he doesn’t believe the initiative would hurt the city.
“I think it would bring business and would help senior citizens, so that’s why I got involved with it,” he said.
Video from today’s title board hearing:
Clearly, 70-year-old Roger McCarville, who moved to Colorado Springs about 16 months ago, does not care about schools or children.
Danie Chacon, do you have easy access to a list of where/how property taxes are spent? For example, how much goes to schools?
*Daniel*
Sorry
Oh yeah baby! I’m totally gonna vote for this. Where do I sign up to sign the petition?
Does Roger McCarville really think we’re that naive, picking Doug Bruce’s puppet as his own? Ed Bircham ran Bruce’s county commisioner campaign and was instrumental in duping the Springs with two (count ‘em TWO ) TABORS. And now, after the Bruce ‘Slate’ was trounced, now that felon Dougie can’t associate with known felon-petitioner Nozolino or even vote, with his faux-charity and other finances under the court-ordered microscope of probationary review, with the IRS looking for just cause to prosecute, the Gazette needs to monitor who’s carrying petitions and where they are being housed.
Costco managers: be on the lookout!!
Go ahead and sign and if it passes the city will have turn all the street lights because there is no money to pay for the electricty. You would just love in in a dark city.
Once Doug Bruce finishes his sentence and probation, he CAN vote.
Ha ha ha! I love it! Everyone please vote for this one so that my rental house in Colorado Springs will provide a little more money for me to spend in Denver where I live.
This cannot apply to businesses without changing the Colorado Constitution:
http://www.coloradosprings.org/Doc/files/2.1.3/2.1.3.3.pdf
Page three.
6 years, before lame Doug can vote, let alone promote or fund ballot proposals, billyboy. And in your fawning you and Bircham overlook Hickenlooper’s reinstatement of the homestead deduction for seniors, try to conflate El Paso County schools with city property taxation. Clueless voters like you need to do your homework or stay away from the polling place.
billyboy,
I don’t have such a list. But the property tax revenue the city collects — projected to be about $19.7 million this year — goes into the general fund, which pays for day-to-day operations at the city. That includes everything from salaries for police officers to watering the parks.
I hope that helps.
Daniel
not so fast: I asked a question, then I stated a fact. That does not qualify as “fawning.” I said NOTHING about El Paso County schools. Again, I asked a simple question, but you are trying to put words in my post. Calling me names like clueless shows your lack of debating ability, and you are the last person qualified to tell me to stay away from the voting booth. Try sticking to the subject, don’t say I said something I didn’t, and stop the name calling. The three things I just called you on have destroyed any possible credibility you may have had.
Thanks, Daniel.
I like the idea of removing property taxes – as the tax penalizes you for land ownership, but I recognize the need for an alternative tax for funding schools, etc.
Perhaps we should place a tax on text messaging or blog posting.
As much as I hate taxes, there has to be some limits for any county or City to run its’ daily operations. Where did Roger hail from, 16 months here in town and wants to disrupt our way of living. Or is he a flunky of Doug and Ed, since they don’t seem to have the BALLS to do it themselves, but, got some poor old fool to do it for them and when the blame goes around, guess who gets to be the “FALL GUY”. I live in the county and appreciate what the county does here to maintain roads, the EPSO and other projects to insure the great quality of life we have out East. My taxes are not that outrages that I cannot make a scene, but, if by chance this tax proposal passes, God Help Those In Colorado Springs.
For a quick two question on-line poll on how you feel this measure would fare if it makes it to the ballot, please use link below. Thank you.
http://www.springsunigroup.org/QuickPoll–City-Prop-Tax-Elimination.html
Sounds like a great idea, the city can cover the loss of taxes by reworking salaries, benifits and retirement plans.
This is crazy, you people in Colorado Springs want everything, but want to have to pay for nothing. When you call 911, and it takes 20 minutes, you cry. When you go to the park and the grass is brown, you cry. When you drive down the road and hit that 5 year old pot hole, you, wait a minute, that should have been fixed. I am now understanding a bit more. If the City were a bit more fiscally responsible, along with the County, State, and Nation, we could look into dropping the property tax. But until we reign in the free spending on new projects, that do not benefit the whole, only a few, we will never prosper. TABOR’s idea was good, and if the elected officials abided by the plan, we could have worked within it’s limitations, albeit constricted. Give me a tax suggestion, a definite use, an end date, and no wiggle room for waste, and you will get my vote.
teabaggers, teabaggers and more teabaggers….what a greeeeaaat village we live in, or it used to be. if you can’t afford to live here get the frick out.
How about a compromise. Some say “yes”. Some say “no”. How about lowering the taxes WITHOUT getting rid of them all together and WITHOUT cutting all necessary expenses.