When a city “finds” $42 million, don’t be surprised when a judge reminds them it was never theirs to take in the first place. The Loveland Reporter-Herald covered a Lakewood budget mess after a ruling found a city tax violated TABOR.
This is what happens when government gets addicted to cute little revenue grabs instead of doing the boring, responsible work of living within its means.
The Bullet Point Brief
- A ruling found a Lakewood city tax violated TABOR (Colorado’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights).
- The city is facing a sudden $42 million fiscal hole as it reckons with that decision.
- The case is being framed as a precedent for taxpayers who want to challenge new taxes.
- The practical fallout is budget stress and the scramble that comes with it.
- The core issue is process and permission: taxes that require voter approval under TABOR.
My Bottom Line
TABOR still protects Coloradans from cute little revenue grabs like this. That’s not anti-government, it’s pro-consent.
But here’s the part that should irritate everybody: citizens will be made whole using their own money. Government takes it, loses in court, then hands it back like it’s doing you a favor. That’s not generosity, that’s an expensive refund.
Stop trying to find cute ways to increase revenue and start finding ways to cut spending.
If you want to raise taxes, ask the voters. If you can’t make the case to the people you serve, maybe the problem isn’t the tax code, maybe it’s the spending.
If your budget only works when you dodge TABOR, your budget doesn’t work.
Source: Loveland Reporter-Herald
