CCCS Internal On September 9th,the State Board for Community Colleges & Occupational Education adopted resolutions of support for two ballot measures that Colorado voters will decide on this November. The Board expressed its ongoing commitment for better funding opportunities to support CCCS’s mission to provide an accessible, responsive learning environment where its students can achieve their educational, professional and personal goals in an atmosphere that embraces improved academic excellence, diversity and innovation.
Resolution of Support for Amendment B
The Gallagher Amendment Repeal
On November 3, 2020, the citizens of Colorado will decide whether to repeal section 3 of Article X of the Colorado Constitution, referred to as the “Gallagher Amendment”.
This amendment to the Colorado Constitution, referred by Colorado’s 72nd General Assembly and passed with bipartisan support, would repeal the requirement that the general assembly periodically change the residential assessment rate in order to maintain a statewide proportion of residential property as compared to all other taxable property valued for property tax purposes; and, further, would repeal the nonresidential property tax assessment rate of twenty-nine percent.
If passed, this amendment would not result in a direct allocation of new General Funds to the Colorado Community College System, but it could result in increased net revenue statewide, especially to K-12 schools, and reduce the pressure to cut funding for higher education.
Link to full resolution here.
Resolution of Support for Amendment 77
Local Voter Approval of Gaming Limits in Black Hawk, Cripple Creek, and Central City
On November 3, 2020, the citizens of Colorado will also decide whether to amend the Colorado Constitution and Colorado Revised Statutes to remove the existing state-level bet limits on casino gambling.
This ballot measure will require voters in Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek to establish limits of their own choosing, and to specify that expenditures from the extended limited gaming fund may be made for purposes of student retention and credential completion at Colorado public community colleges, junior colleges, and local district colleges.
Under the extended gaming fund created by Amendment 50, a significant percentage of state tax revenues generated by increased limits, games, and hours are distributed to community colleges. This measure has the potential to provide a modest amount of new tax revenue for community colleges within the Colorado Community College System and positively impact its over 125,000 students across the state.
Link to full resolution here.
