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   From: yourdime@outlook.com   
      
   Colorado voters on Tuesday soundly rejected Proposition HH, a complicated   
   tax and spending measure that would have provided hundreds of dollars in   
   property tax relief each year for the typical homeowner, while reducing   
   state taxpayers’ refunds and expanding state spending on schools.   
      
   As of 11:15 p.m., the measure was being rejected by 61% of voters. Voters   
   in just six counties — including Denver and Boulder — had supported for   
   its passage. The Associated Press called the race before 8 p.m.   
      
   The overwhelming rejection of the ballot measure was a major defeat for   
   Jared Polis, the state’s popular Democratic governor, who spent much of   
   the past year pushing unsuccessfully for policies that he said would   
   reduce housing costs across the state. His office authored Proposition HH,   
   which was referred to the ballot at the eleventh hour by Democrats in the   
   legislature. But the complex proposal never won over the enthusiastic   
   support of liberals, while Republicans remained staunchly opposed to the   
   measure and conservative groups spent millions to seek its defeat.   
      
   Conservatives celebrated Tuesday night at an Aurora sports bar, calling   
   the measure a victory for Colorado’s government-limiting Taxpayer’s Bill   
   of Rights.   
      
   “The message tonight is really simple: Government has enough money, live   
   within your budget,” former Gov. Bill Owens, a Republican, told the crowd.   
   “The only reason this was on the ballot was to do away with the TABOR   
   refund. That was the only reason.”   
      
   Proposition HH’s failure means Coloradans’ property tax bills could go up   
   as much as 40% on average next year without intervention by the General   
   Assembly or local officials. There’s little time to make changes before   
   local governments prepare their budgets and tax bills go out, so the   
   legislature and Polis will have to decide soon whether to take action.   
      
   They could call a special lawmaking term before the end of the year or   
   attempt to cut property tax rates when the legislature reconvenes in   
   January. Republicans on Tuesday renewed calls for Polis to convene a   
   special legislative session and have already put forth a number of broad   
   property tax relief proposals in anticipation of the measure’s failure.   
      
   “The governor needs to call a special session — do it tonight, do it   
   tomorrow, fix this property tax system immediately,” said Michael Fields,   
   the leader of Advance Colorado Action, a conservative group that   
   campaigned against the measure. “TABOR’s not going anywhere, and neither   
   are we.”   
      
   Polis, who was at the Western Governors Association meeting Tuesday night   
   in Jackson, Wyoming, issued a statement through a spokesperson.   
      
   “The governor thanks everyone who voted in this year’s election,” said   
   Conor Cahill, Polis’ press secretary. “While he is disappointed voters   
   didn’t pass a long-term property tax cut, he is currently considering next   
   steps.”   
      
   Also looming large is a measure authored by conservatives on the 2024   
   statewide ballot that would cap annual property tax increases statewide at   
   4%, limiting the amount of money collected by schools and other local   
   taxing authorities that rely on property tax revenue.   
      
   Some voters told The Colorado Sun they liked Proposition HH’s school   
   funding provisions or its property tax cuts. Others said it didn’t provide   
   enough cost savings to them personally, or that they didn’t want to cut   
   taxes at all. And on Election Day, supporters and opponents alike   
   expressed uncertainty — and confusion — about how the proposal would   
   actually work.   
      
   Patrick Garvey, a Democrat, said he was conflicted, but voted against   
   Proposition HH — “begrudgingly.”   
      
   “I feel like the issues within that proposition need to be isolated and   
   voted on separately because it’s confusing for the average person,” said   
   Garvey, who dropped off his ballot outside the Denver Botanic Gardens   
   early Tuesday afternoon.   
      
   The measure was unusually complex even for Colorado, a state with a long   
   tradition of asking voters to weigh in on complicated tax policy   
   questions.   
      
   Proposition HH would have provided relief from rising property taxes on   
   the one hand, by reducing the statewide residential assessment rate to   
   6.7% from 6.765% and expanding existing tax exemptions for homeowners.   
      
   On the other, it would have increased the state revenue cap under the   
   Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights by 1 percentage point a year for at least the   
   next 10 years. That would have reduced, or in some years even eliminated,   
   taxpayer refunds owed under TABOR in years of strong economic growth.   
      
   In a statement, Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, said   
   Proposition HH was “about providing long-term tax relief for Colorado   
   seniors and families” without harming schools and other local services. He   
   blamed a “far right” misinformation campaign for the proposal’s defeat by   
   voters.   
      
   “It’s unclear tonight what the pathway forward is,” said Fenberg, who   
   chaired the campaign in favor of the measure, “but it’s clear the answer   
   is not Initiative 50 (the conservative tax cut measure), which would amend   
   the constitution to permanently reduce funding for schools, fire districts   
   and libraries.”   
      
   The change to the TABOR cap could have allowed the state government to   
   spend as much as $2.2 billion in additional tax revenue annually by 2032.   
   The vast majority of that money would have gone to K-12 schools.   
      
   The boost to education funding was what won the vote of Susan Katz, a   
   Boulder Democrat.   
      
   “We are totally open to paying more taxes, and we’re anxious for more   
   money to go to education,” Katz said. “We like what the governor did with   
   early childhood education (universal Pre-K) and we want to support him.”   
      
   But that message was largely missing from the campaign and from Polis   
   himself, who tried to pitch voters on tax relief first and foremost.   
      
   That pitch was lost on some renters like Garvey, who didn’t expect to   
   benefit from it. Chris Okere, a homeowner who cast his ballot in Boulder,   
   said he voted for it, but with misgivings.   
      
   “It’s all about property taxes,” said Okere, a politically unaffiliated   
   voter. “I didn’t think that it’s a great deal, but if we don’t do it, then   
   our property taxes will go up 30 to 40%.”   
      
   Some of Proposition HH’s provisions were temporary, like a one-year change   
   to the TABOR refund formula that would have given more to Coloradans who   
   make under $99,000 a year, while reducing refund checks for higher   
   earners.   
      
   The measure also would have provided some financial assistance to local   
   governments to compensate for reduced property tax revenue, but the state   
   aid was designed to be limited and fade over time. As a result, the   
      
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