It’s not the first time the General Assembly has tried to pull a fast one on the electorate — by way of an end run on what voters enacted at the ballot box. But it might be the first time lawmakers have connived to get away with it in advance. That’s right, before the public even has had a chance to weigh in.
As reported in Thursday’s Gazette, a bill just introduced late in the 2021 Legislature — and being fast-tracked through committees at press time — would change the way real property is classified for taxation in Colorado. It would conjure up new categories of property and new assessment rates to go with them. The purpose? To short-circuit a citizens petition drive to cut Colorado’s soaring property taxes by $1.03 billion on next fall’s ballot. Lawmakers fear the ballot issue would prove popular with voters in November, so they’re trying to sabotage it now.