303-776-9900Submitted by John Gaddis Even with the ups and downs of oil prices, the oil and gas boom in Colorado is continuing. However, if you own land that has an existing oil and gas lease but there is no development of the minerals on your property, what do you do? Does a landowner have any […]
News and Insights
Submitted by Jeff Kahn On November 19th, Longmont’s Sean Cronin testified before the Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight’s hearing entitled “Tax Relief after Disaster: How Individuals, Small Businesses, and Communities Recover.” Mr. Cronin is the Executive Director for the St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District. (Watch Mr. Cronin’s […]
Submitted by Adele L. Reester Has your local government received requests for access to and copies of public records? Have you wondered whether it is legal to charge a research fee for the time that it takes your staff to locate the records? Legislation signed by Governor Hickenlooper on May 2, 2014 provided clarification in […]
Many special districts take a “set it and forget it” approach to their insurance policies. In an environment where the legal landscape, exposure to risk and policies are changing regularly, this approach can create a great deal of exposure for special districts. Crime Coverage If your district relies on consultants such as an accounting firm, […]
The Firm is excited about our new branch office in Louisville. Located at 363 Centennial Parkway, Suite 110, our Louisville office will provide greater flexibility for current and new clients from Louisville, Superior, Erie, Lafayette, Broomfield and surrounding communities near the Highway 36 corridor, as well as those from the Boulder and Denver metropolitan areas. […]
In a world where we are permanently connected to our “devices” and frequent “status” updates are the norm, special districts often struggle to define the appropriate role social media can play in their organizations. Issues such as ensuring that employees are posting appropriate material, maintaining consistent messaging, addressing vulgar, offensive or harassing comments, protecting private […]
Submitted by Adele L. Reester Do you have questions about open meetings and public records? Are you knowledgeable about recent changes in the law? Join Adele Reester on Wednesday, September 10, 2014 at 8:30 am in Torreys Peak I-II at this year’s SDA Conference in Keystone to learn about or brush up on your knowledge […]
Submitted by Chad A. Kupper If so, your District may need to determine whether a lease-purchase agreement is necessary. Under TABOR, Districts are precluded from incurring any form of multiyear indebtedness absent voter approval, including federal loans. However, a District can take a loan and use those funds to partially purchase equipment using a lease-purchase […]
Authorities can be formed in accordance with Section 18, Article XIV of the Colorado Constitution and Sections 29-1-201, et seq. CRS. These cooperative entities provide a variety of functions and are one way to pool resources and maximize governmental services. Many types of special districts and local governments across the state have entered into partnerships […]
Submitted by Cameron A. Grant Recently the Denver Post reported that Boulder County could be liable for $1 billion in petro “takings” if local governments adopt and enforce bans on the drilling practice called fracking. On June 24th, voters in the City of Loveland rejected a measure that would have extended a moratorium on drilling […]
After more than 10 years of tax chaos, the American Tax Relief Act (ATRA) of 2012 ended the uncertainty that swirled around estate and gift taxes. ATRA made permanent the $5,000,000 estate tax exclusion, generation skipping tax exemption and gift tax exclusion with all indexed for inflation ($5,340,000 in 2014). While this change should be […]
On May 2, 2014, Governor Hickenlooper signed HB 14-1193 into law. This legislation was passed in response to recent court decisions holding that “reasonable” fees could be charged for research and retrieval time spent in response to an open records request. While the courts stated that such fees are permissible, they did not define the […]
