Amendment 32 hasn't been getting much press in the local papers so I turned to the Boulder Daily Camera [September 1, 2003, "Commissioner leads campaign against Amendment 23"] to find some background information. From the article, "The initiative in question is Amendment 32, a statewide ballot question that would get rid of the 'Gallagher Amendment,' which (Boulder County Commissioner Ron) Stewart and Denver Auditor Dennis Gallagher helped put into the state Constitution two decades ago when they served as state lawmakers. Passed in 1982, the amendment requires the state to collect 55 percent of its property tax money from businesses and 45 percent from residential property taxes that homeowners pay. Now, Senate Majority Leader Norma Anderson, R-Lakewood, is asking voters to take it off the books. But Stewart says the Gallagher Amendment has protected homeowners from excessively high taxes based on skyrocketing property values, and he's determined to scuttle any effort to get rid of it, even though it will mean taking on one of the state's most powerful lawmakers. Anderson and other opponents of the Gallagher Amendment argue that residential growth has outstripped business growth for the last twenty years and in the process has diluted the share that homeowners have to pay. Anderson argues that high property taxes are driving businesses out of Colorado and hurting the economy." Here's another article from The Daily Camera [June 22, 2003, "Amendment's author fighting initiative"] about the issue. Thanks to Denver Auditor Gallagher for the suggestion that I look at the Daily Camera as a source.

Colorado school systems, including the Denver Public Schools, are asking voters to approve tax increases this fall according to the Rocky Mountain News [September 18, 2003, "School districts seek $800 million"]. From the article, "Denver School Board chairwoman Elaine Berman said the tight economy is a large part of the reason why the board pared its bond request from $470 million - the amount proposed by a citizens' committee - to $310 million. n fact, board members considered waiting a year to see if economic conditions improve. They chose not to, she said, largely because of rapid growth in the district's northeast neighborhoods. Already this year, three schools there are so crowded that enrollment caps are in place. In Denver, for example, $7 million for two charter schools is folded seamlessly into the district's bond question."

Here's some information on the November ballot from todays The Stump from the Rocky Mountain News [September 18, 2003, "The Stump"].

There is an initiative on the November ballot to repeal the Quick Wins II ordinance passed by City Council. A lawsuit has been filed to remove the initiative from the ballot according to the Rocky Mountain News [September 18, 2003, "Judge should halt assault on home rule"].
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