Colorado Senate Bill 87 (2009)

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Senate Bill 87, also known as the Special District Accountability Act, has been passed by the Colorado House of Representatives and will increase the transparency requirements of special tax districts in the state.

[edit] Background

In Colorado, local government has taken the form of "special districts", which provided a way for community developers to finance projects such as safety, sanitation, hospitals, parks, etc. Each of these programs has its own special district, which is run by an elected board of directors and levies taxes on the the community. These districts offer a wide range of services to local communities in Colorado, but they also spend alot of taxpayer money without much accountability.[1][2]

[edit] Summary

This bill will require special districts to disclose information about audits, budgets, and election results online through an official website. The districts will also have to send out notices of meetings and elections to their electors. Those selling homes will be required to provide a list of all the special districts that have jurisdiction over the property so that prospective buyers know what taxes they will have to pay. Overall, this legislation will provide increased transparency and accountability of the local tax districts. [3][4]

[edit] History

The bill was introduced to the Senate on Jan. 1st, 2009 by Senator Morgan Carroll. It was unanimously passed by the Senate and was introduced to the House Local Government Committee by Cherylin Peniston on March 19. Amendments were made and the House Appropriations Committee voted 12-1 to advance the bill on April 28. The act will take effect on September 1, 2009.[5][6][7]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ↑ "Special Districts and Metropolitan Districts", CELDF.org, May 2, 2001
  2. ↑ "Colorado: Special tax districts", Wikipedia
  3. ↑ SENATE BILL 09-087 from the Colorado Legislature
  4. ↑ "Special districts transparency advances", Colorado Spending Transparency, April 28, 2009
  5. ↑ "Summarized History for Bill Number SB09-087", Colorado Legislature
  6. ↑ "The fight for government accountability and transparency continues…", by David K. Williams, Jr. on Peoples Press Collective, March 18, 2009
  7. ↑ "Transparency bills see varying degrees of success", by K.C. Mason on The Fort Morgan Times, April 1, 2009
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