Beth McCann

February 2012 Newsletter

Thank you to all who of you who were able to attend my Town Hall Meeting on February 7th. Our speakers were very engaging and informative, and fielded many thoughtful questions from the audience. If you could not make it to the meeting, below is a quick summary of the presentation.

My next Town Hall meeting regarding small bussinesses will be on Monday, March 12 at 7:00pm. It will be held at Montview Presbyterian Church (1980 Dahlia St.). If you are not already on my mailing list for newsletters and Town Hall announcements, enter your email address in the box above to sign up.

February Town Hall - Summary

Brendon Hanlon - Budget Director, City and County of Denver

The City of Denver established the Structural Financial Task Force to tackle the "structural gap" between revenue growth (3.37% growth per year) and proportionally larger expenditure growth (4.47% growth per year). The Task Force reviewed 60 proposals with the goal of offering a menu of recommendations that address expenditures and revenue, and achieve long-term fiscal stability. Expenditure recommendations include: a cap on wage increases for the city's uniformed officers and regular employees, furloughs, no more overtime in pension calculations, higher employee contributions to the pension plan, and a self-funded city health insurance plan.

Revenue proposals include: completely "de-bruce" the city's tax structure; dedicate mill levies for parks and libraries; new trash and parking fees; new sales taxes on services, internet sales, cigarettes, medical marijuana; as well as corporate sponsorships of specific city venues. More information at: Denver Structural Financial Task Force

Henry Sobanet - Director, Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting

Our state budget has been challenged by the recent economic recession. State spending on Medicaid has grown at an alarming rate - a 25.2% increase from Fiscal Year 2007/8 to 2012/13. The gradual transfer of education funding from the local to state level has placed another significant strain on the state budget.

Mr. Sobanet outlined the LEAN Program (developed by Toyota) and the SMART Act which aim to improve the efficiency of government and thereby avoid cuts in essential services. The SMART Act requires all departments under the governor to improve efficiency by drafting strategic plans.

James Griesemer - Dean Emeritus and Director, DU Strategic Issues Program

The University of Denver's 2010-2011 Strategic Issues Panel focused on ways to address the complex fiscal challenges facing Colorado state government. A panel of 20 members came to consensus on recommendations for the budget, education, Medicaid, transportation, and constitutional amendments. The recommendations are driven by these basic principles: -state government must communicate the value of state services; -dedicated revenue sources should be linked to specific areas of service; -public subsidies should be disclosed in a service area; -private and non-profit organizations should provide public services when appropriate; -use a market approach to public resources by spending on individuals rather than institutions; -fully fund state programs, avoid unfunded mandates and adopt multi-year budgeting. More information at: www.du.edu/issues

Other News

The 2012 Legislative Session - Update

We are now over a month into this legislative session, and a lot is going on here at the Capitol. My bills are all in various stages of the legislative process. Click here for a summary of the bills I am sponsoring, and their current status as of February 16th. You can also visit the General Assembly Website and click on "House" to view all bills from this session.

TBD Colorado (To Be Determined Colorado)

As you may know, Governor Hickenlooper has put together a large scale, nonpartisan effort to convene groups of citizens to discuss the major complex issues facing the state. The goal is to develop consensus and solutions. These meeting will take place throughout the state and address: transportation, education, the state budget, health care, and the state workforce. The meeting will begin in March.

The Governors office is seeking applications for participation in this process. Participants will be required to attend 3 Saturday meetings of 3 hours each and there will be lots of reading material. If you are interested in participating, I encourage you to visit the website, tbdcolorado.org, which has information and applications.

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As always, do feel free to contact me with any questions or input, as I am always open to the thoughts and suggestions of my neighbors, friends and constituents.

Sincerely,

Beth McCann
Colorado State Representative
House District 8
beth@bethmccann.org
(303) 866-2959