The House Appropriations Committee voted 12-1 to advance SB 87 Senator Morgan Carroll’s bill that  ensures very basic transparency from special taxing districts, things like:

• Creating a basic website so citizens know how to contact and petition their tax-funded government offices
• Disclosing to homeowners when they buy a home which special districts they live in and pay taxes to
• Sending out annual notices of when and where meetings and elections are held

According to the Independence Institute’s Justin Longo, the number of special districts in Colorado has grown at an alarming rate in recent years: there are now more than 1,300 of these metro districts, water districts, fire districts, park districts, hospital districts, and on and on…. Colorado prides itself on local control, but these local government bodies collect and spend lots of taxpayer money with very little accountability.

The State Auditor filed a huge report highlighting the serious lack of oversight in these districts.  SB 87 is a good first start. 

Hard to believe that any legislator would oppose this legislation.  The $7000 fiscal note hardly makes it cost prohibitive.  Apparently SB 87 accountability in special taxing districts is not necessary at least to State Rep Don Marostica, the lone no vote on the House Appropriations Committee.  Perhaps its because of Marostica’s career as a developer and his “extra-ordinary” access to the public process.  No point in letting taxpayers in on the messy details!