When a state starts breaking its own laws while wagging a finger at everyone else, yeah, that’s peak Colorado governance in action. This article from Colorado Newsline highlights what those of us in county commission positions have known for way too long: the State of Colorado passes unfunded mandates faster than frat boys down Fireball shots – and with about the same concern for consequences. The piece outlines how counties like Mesa and Weld are being forced to shell out cash for state-level policy whims without so much as a reimbursement request form in sight. You’d think upholding their own statutes would be a bare minimum, but here we are.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Colorado Revised Statute § 29-1-304.5 makes it illegal for the state to impose service increases on local governments without funding them.
- That hasn’t stopped the state from doing exactly that – repeatedly.
- Mesa County Commissioner Bobbie Daniel is calling it out, and good on her.
- Local governments keep getting stuck holding the bag while Denver plays pretend legislator.
- Weld County (that’s us!) is starting to raise its eyebrows, and middle fingers, at this nonsense, too.
My Bottom Line
If you’re waiting for Denver to play by its own rules, you might as well be waiting for a Prius to win a tractor pull. Here’s an idea: maybe stop writing laws you’re not willing to follow yourselves, Governor? Because when local governments get mowed over by unfunded mandates, what we’re actually seeing is lawbreaking wrapped in legislative arrogance, and no one seems to care unless we set something on fire or sue someone into submission.
I’ve worked alongside folks like Mesa County Commissioner Bobbie Daniel who’ve had enough of this top-down fiscal slap in the face. Let me make this easy for my fellow commissioners across Colorado: if they send us another law without the dollars to back it up, let’s just respond with the equivalent of “LOL nope.” Unfunded mandates aren’t just an insult; they’re illegal under CRS § 29-1-304.5. That’s not opinion, that’s ink-on-the-page fact. So either fund it or forget it.
And listen: I’m happy to work with any commissioner, Democrat or Republican, willing to show some backbone and push back against this legalized extortion racket dressed up as legislative duties. This isn’t partisan politics; it’s just asking those clowns under the Dome to obey their own words like they expect us to obey ours. Fair’s fair, or at least it’s supposed to be in a republic worth a damn.
