DENVER – Proponents ended a ballot drive that would have allowed the state to keep excess revenue to spend on critical state services, such as schools and transportation.
The Colorado Priorities campaign announced Tuesday that it could not compete with a crowded list of proposed initiatives.
“In November, Colorado voters are going to be asked to decide on up to 10 statewide ballot initiatives, dozens of candidates as well as local ballot initiatives,” read a statement from Dan Ritchie and Al Yates, Colorado Priorities’ co-chairmen. “The crowded ballot has made it difficult to secure the resources necessary for us to win in November.”
The ballot question was proposed in the face of growing budget woes.
Lawmakers this year were asked by a bipartisan contingency to restructure a hospital provider fee to free money for state spending. Republicans, the controlling party in the Senate, let the bill die.
Without the additional resources to fix crumbling roads and highways and to fully fund education and other critical state services, proponents considered asking voters this November to weigh in on whether the state should be allowed to retain and spend all state revenues in excess of the limitation on state fiscal year spending.
Opponents believed the effort would have eroded the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, passed by voters in 1992. The law aims at restraining growth in government by requiring voters to approve all tax increases and prohibiting governments from spending revenues without voter approval if revenues grow faster than the rate of inflation and population growth.
Surplus revenue must be refunded to taxpayers, unless voters approve retention.
Polling released by Colorado Priorities stated that 61 percent of Colorado voters supported the ballot effort. But proponents said they didn’t want to “risk the possibility of failure due to an uncertain political climate and the lack of resources necessary to communicate on such a complex issue.”
“Though we are suspending this campaign, the challenges facing our state and the need to invest in these priorities continue to grow,” Ritchie and Yates said. “We are committed to continue working with the thousands of Coloradans, businesses and organizations from every corner of the state to ensure we find a solution for investing in Colorado’s priorities.”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com
