OCTOBER REPORT – From the TAR Government Affairs Department

21 Nov OCTOBER REPORT – From the TAR Government Affairs Department

This Article was written By Nick Bokone, TAR Government Affairs Consultant

October Article, 2018 | October 3, 2018

Hospital Measure Joins Other Property Tax Increase Questions on Telluride Ballot

As ballots are being prepared to send to citizens in mid-October, Telluride residents will have multiple chances to consider what issues (if any) deserve more money from property taxes.

The Telluride Hospital District announced this week that it will ask voters to approve a mill levy increase on the November ballot. If approved, the ballot question, known as Measure 6B, would raise $960,851 in 2019 for ongoing information technology upgrades and emergency and trauma services at the Telluride Regional Medical Center, according to medical center CEO John Gardner.

The cost to the taxpayer would be an additional $9 per $100,000 of a property’s value. Measure 6B will appear on all San Miguel County ballots, except in Precincts 4 and 5, which include Norwood and Egnar, respectively, and the surrounding areas. It also asks voters to sustain the increase in taxes, beginning in 2020, as needed to offset the Gallagher Amendment — a tax-related provision in the state constitution that has caused a drastic reduction in residential property tax revenue.

This measure joins other proposals to increase funding for affordable housing, pay for improvements to the fire district, and other statewide proposals for sales tax increases for transportation.

State News – CAR Publishes 2018 Ballot Guide

The Colorado Association of REALTORS® has published a comprehensive guide on ballot issues and state wide candidates for this year’s upcoming November 6^th election.

REALTORS® from around Colorado are involved at the statewide level in investigating and debating ballot measures and their effects on the real estate industry. CAR members also spend countless hours interviewing candidates for office and questioning them on their positions on issues that impact our business. The complete guide can be found here: http://www.coloradorealtors.com/2018-ballot-guide/

Note – everyone knows these are difficult times and our country is very divided politically. Everyone will not agree 100% with the recommendations in this guide since we are an industry and association with diverse opinions, points of view, demographics, and backgrounds. This guide is put together with the best interest of the real estate industry in mind. By all means, vote your conscience. But, if the needs of the real estate industry are important to you, use this guide to help you in your choices. This guide is a good faith effort to consider all points of view and is compiled by REALTORS® just like you from all over Colorado.

National News – NAR Announces New Chief Lobbyist

Starting October 15^th, Shannon McGahn will become NAR’s senior vice president of government affairs.

As senior vice president of government affairs, McGahn will bring a modern, innovative approach to presenting Realtor®-directed policies to members of Congress, federal agencies and the executive branch of government, in addition to guiding NAR’s position on key property rights policies. McGahn is the first woman to hold this position in NAR’s 110-year history. McGahn most recently served as the staff director for the Committee on Financial Services in the U.S. House of Representatives where she managed the Committee’s legislative agenda and worked with House and Senate leadership, senior White House aides, relevant committees and federal agencies to address and enact its legislative and regulatory priorities.

McGahn’s experience on the Hill also includes serving as communications director for the House Republican Conference, where she worked daily with senior House leadership and staff to communicate policy proposals to the media and the public, and more than six years serving in various policy communications roles for the House Republican Conference, the Office of the House Majority Leader and Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn (R-WA). She also served as counselor to the secretary of the U.S. Treasury, leading early efforts to build relationships with members of tax writing and banking committees, as well as House and Senate leadership, to develop consensus on legislative initiatives.

McGahn succeeds Jerry Giovaniello, who is retiring at the end of 2018, after successfully advocating vital legislative and regulatory issues before Congress, the White House and federal agencies for NAR and its 1.3 million members for 37 years.