DENVER — The special legislative session on property taxes last month may have provided some short-term relief for homeowners, but state leaders acknowledge there's more work to do.
Later this month, a bipartisan task force will begin looking for long-term solutions to rising property taxes. State Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, will chair the 19-member task force, which includes state and local leaders as well as experts.
"I think we were very realistic that what we could do in the special session was short-term,” said Hansen. “But now we've got to come back to the drawing board and look at things that are going to be five,10,15-year solutions."
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The task force was created through the passage of House Bill 23B-1003 during the special session last month. Hansen said they will consider a lot of ideas over the next three to four months.
“My hope is by March 15 that we can come forward with a set of consensus recommendations and really have a sustainable long-term plan for Colorado,” said Hansen.
State Rep. Lisa Frizell, R-Douglas County, is one of the Republican members on the task force.
"I really am heartened by the makeup of this task force and excited to get to work on behalf of the citizens of Colorado to provide meaningful property tax policy changes,” said Frizell.
Frizell said she hopes all ideas are considered.
"I hope that we have a much more bipartisan, truly bipartisan conversation on this task force than we had during last session and during the special session that just passed,” she said.
The task force’s first meeting is set for Dec. 20.
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Meanwhile, Governor Jared Polis released a long-term housing and transportation plan, outlining several steps he would like to see the state take over the next few years to create more housing options and expand transit opportunities. The governor said there is not enough affordable housing to keep up with demand, and a shortage of affordable housing is one of the factors driving up home prices.
“We need more housing supply across the state, especially the kinds of housing opportunities that have been the hardest to build,” said Polis.
The governor’s roadmap calls for ending exclusionary zoning practices that keep multi-family homes, like apartments, from being built in certain communities. He also wants to make it easier to build nontraditional living spaces, such as garage and basement apartments.
“We need to remove bureaucratic barriers and red tape and speed up housing opportunities for every community,” said Polis.
