With all due respect to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, we not too long ago examined with nice curiosity some knowledge that he supplied earlier than he took workplace. We be aware of some obvious contradictions that relate to a present invoice beneath debate within the Colorado legislature.
In 2015, then-Congressman Jared Polis mentioned: “Native planning includes widespread citizen enter and broad stakeholder involvement. When addressing contentious points, native governments have extra alternatives for public participation than a state or federal authorities. As such, land use instruments enable native governments to behave constantly with their constituents’ expectations.”
We couldn’t say it higher ourselves. Paradoxically, it’s the identical Jared Polis, now governor of Colorado, who’s the impetus of Senate Invoice 213, a contentious state Senate invoice that will tremendously cut back native management. In some instances, the “discount” would in actual fact result in elimination of that management.
The center of any group is the individuals who reside there, who robustly have interaction their elected leaders in issues of giant consequence. Native elected leaders then have the accountability to weigh that citizen-input with a long-term imaginative and prescient for the group that features figuring out challenges and alternatives for development, each regionally and in partnership with their neighbors.
Senate Invoice 213 would basically get rid of that grassroots vibrancy. Selections impacting communities’ future can be made by an unelected fee of 13 folks in Denver, appointed by the governor and the legislature, with the last word choice coming from a single particular person — the director of the Division of Native Affairs.
Right here’s extra perspective from Gov. Polis, again when he was in Congress: “A neighborhood authorities is elected to symbolize its group members and is finally liable for preserving the character of the group.”
Exactly! His sturdy protection of native planning couldn’t have been extra heading in the right direction.
Each Coloradan deserves to be heard, not simply these with the best quantity making essentially the most noise. Any difficulty affecting a city, metropolis, county or area needs to be topic to native debate and management; and that’s particularly relevant within the case of land use. The character of your group shouldn’t be determined by these 13 hand-appointed bureaucrats in Denver.
There’s a path ahead for SB 213, if the proponents select it. The invoice needs to be amended to get rid of state management of native land use planning and as a substitute leverage the facility of the state’s fiscal sources to assist native governments to realize long-term planning objectives that largely align with the proponents.
We’re working out of time. If there isn’t any willingness to align SB 213 with the “Colorado Manner,” then we’re higher off with out it.
Rachel Zenzinger, of Arvada, represents District 19 within the Colorado Senate and is a former Arvada metropolis council member. Barbara Kirkmeyer, of Brighton, represents District 23 within the Colorado Senate and is a former Weld County commissioner.
