Announcements/Business:
 
  • A review of the June calendar:  
    • June 1, 7:30 am, is Run the Ranch at Beaver Ranch.  The money raised will go to the Interact Nepal trip summer 2020.  It is a 5K and can be run or walked.  Register on line.  Tax deductible donations can be given through our Conifer Rotary Foundation, with a notation for Conifer Interact.
    • June 4:  NO morning meeting
    • June 5:  Board meeting at Janine’s home at 6:00pm
    • June 11:  Regular morning meeting
    • June 12:  Regular evening meeting
    • June 18:  Regular morning meeting
    • June 25:  Regular morning meeting with Club Foundation presentation by Wes Paxton
    • July 2:  NO morning meeting
    • July 7:  Changing of the guard 
  • The Conifer High School graduation is this Saturday, May 18.  Wes needs more volunteers.
  • The Veterans’ Rendezvous is this Saturday, May 18, 8 a.m.-12 noon.  Rotary volunteers for tear-down:  11:30.  Thanks Lesley and Pat!  Other volunteers are needed!
  • Scholarships will be given this Thursday at Conifer HS and Monday the 20th at Platte Canyon. All 9 students will be given $1000, due to the generosity of Conifer Rotary members.  Please contact Joyce if you can help make presentations to the winners.
  • We received a thank you note from Katherine Dahlin, the recipient of a Rotary Scholarship for Bootstraps, she went to Africa last year with Conifer Interact.
 
Program:  Colorado Life with TABOR and Gallagher
Ed Steinbrecher
 
Basics of taxation:
  • We are governed by Colorado Constitution and Statues.  The Constitution can be amended by citizen initiatives or by referral by the legislature to citizens.  The State Constitution and Statues authorize taxation.
  • All taxes are determined by Rate X Value = Revenue
  • State income tax is currently 4.63% X Federal taxable income
  • Property tax rates depend on the different types of properties:  residential, agriculture, commercial, industrial, and natural resources.
  • Property taxes use mill rate.  One mill is $1 per $1000 assessed value.  40 mils would be 4%; or $40/$1000.  
 
Gallagher.  In 1982, legislator Dennis Gallagher proposed a Constitutional amendment to address inequalities in county assessments. County assessments were not standard and required more money from the State to cover expenses.  
Gallagher states: The amount of revenue raised by Residential real property tax shall not exceed 45% OF THE TOTAL in perpetuity.  All state revenue from other property taxes will be 55%.  To meet state income needs in 1982, residential was taxed at 21% of actual value.  With fast growth and increasing home values, the Gallagher limit forced the state to reduce the rate and it is now 7.2% of actual value.  Every special district has to use to the state set assessment rate, regardless of Residential values.  Some districts may not have had increase in new residential properties nor increase values of existing properties.  This forces a reduction in revenue for special districts (i.e. fire departments).  Next week's meeting will have Fire Chief Bill McLaughlin discuss the negative impact on our Fire Department.
 
Tabor.  Constitutional amendment passed in 1992, it forces a spending limit on the state to not exceed year over year growth plus inflation.  Revenue cannot increase by more than growth plus inflation of the prior year.  There is a property tax revenue limit.  This works, until there is a recession, and the years following that recession are restricted to the previous year's numbers.  This puts state revenue well below the level before the recession.  There can be no new taxes nor increase rate unless approved by voters (De-Brucing).  If there is excess revenue above the limit, that money overage must be returned to the taxpayers.