The Joint Budget Committee met yesterday to discuss the latest revenue forecast. According to the report, the Colorado economy continues to recover from the recession, with real estate and banking being slower to recover.

A copy of the full revenue forecast can be found HERE and select “Economic and Revenue Forecast, June 2010.”

The Denver Post published an Opinion piece discussing U.S. Senate Bill 3194 which would essentially create mandatory collective bargaining, and negatively impact local government. SDA has actively opposed S. 3194.  

Senate Bill 3194, also known as the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, was re-introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. S. 3194 is identical to S. 1611, which was introduced last year, and closely mirrors H.R. 413, which is the House version of the bill.

The Campaign Opposing Amendments 60, 61 and Proposition 101 continues to educate Coloradans about the damage these ballot initiatives will cause if passed. As part of that education and outreach, the campaign is compiling important data about the potential statewide impact of 60, 61 and 101.

The data so far reveals the three initiatives have the potential to:

The updated SDA Board Member Manual has been mailed to all SDA member districts. Your district should have received enough copies for each board member, and one for the district office. These manuals are provided as part of your SDA membership, and are a valuable resource for districts.

The manual has been drafted to help Board Members and other key personnel in their efforts to govern and manage special districts. Added to this revised version are cross-references to relevant cases and statutory citations, along with a new table of contents and updated index.

Governor Ritter has signed his last round of bills for the year, and SDA wants to share the final installment of the Legislative Digest for 2010. A copy of the digest can be found HERE.

In addition, the Governor’s office released a document containing all of the bills that have been signed into law, vetoed or allowed to become law without a signature. A copy of that sheet can be found HERE.

Award Nominations

It is time for the 2010 SDA Award Nominations! Now through Monday, July 26, 2010 SDA will be excepting nominations for Distinguished Board Members, Distinguished Managers and a new award for special district collaboration.

 The Special District Collaboration Award will recognize districts that have created successful working relationships with other local governments.

The Colorado Government Finance Officers Association (CGFOA) will be hosting statewide roundtable discussions regarding Amendments 60, 61 and Proposition 101.

The discussions will be facilitated by representatives from The Colorado Municipal League. Additionally Kutak Rock will have an attorney at each session to answer questions and assist in the discussion. The session will open with a brief presentation from CML followed by a participant discussion.

The Dates/Times/Locations are as follows:

This morning, SDA Executive Director Ann Terry joined representatives from George K Baum and Company, The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, The Colorado Association of Municipal Bond Dealers and Coloradans for Responsible Reform at an informational meeting to discuss the campaign opposing Proposition 101 and Amendments 60 and 61.

Special District service providers who attend this meeting learned how these issues will affect special districts, the campaign strategy and how individuals and businesses can offer the support needed to finance the statewide campaign.

Governor Ritter signed HB 10-1243 into law today at a ceremony in Pueblo. SDA worked with legislators and other interested groups in drafting this piece of legislation, and thanks Governor Ritter for his continued support of special districts and his commitment to collaboration between local governments.

SDA is part of a broad coalition opposing Proposition 101, and Amendments 60 and 61. Many of you have asked for to be informed of opportunities for districts to voice their opposition.

 In response to those requests, SDA has created a template resolution for district boards who are interested in adopting a resolution opposing 60, 61 and 101. That template can be found HERE under File Attachments “Resolution Template Opposing 60,61 and 100.