[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Recap of Metro Mayors Caucus Annual Retreat

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Jones, Suzanne

Dear colleagues—

Saturday I attended the annual day-long retreat of the Metro Mayors Caucus (made of 41 mayors from larger Denver metropolitan region; see http://www.metromayors.org/). Below are some highlights of the day that I thought might be of interest:

Gov. Hickenlooper spoke to us of his priorities for the state legislative session, which are: 1) increased funding for transportation infrastructure; and 2) addressing health care—specifically retaining the state exchange under the Affordable Care Act or coming up with an acceptable alternative if it is to be replaced. Mayors also asked him questions about his clean energy, rural economic development, and concerns about oil & gas drilling in residential areas.  House Speaker Crisanta Duran (Colorado’s first Latina Speaker!) and Republican Caucus Leader Chair Vicki Marble also outlined a much longer list of topics—though given their very divergent viewpoints and the divided Democrat/Republican legislature, it seems that very few topics will move forward.

Transportation: One thing everyone agreed on was that 2017 is “the Year of Transportation” funding. One cited stat was the CO Dept of Transportation’s estimate of a $9 Billion deficit in maintenance, reconstruction and other transportation infrastructure needs; the other argument is that the gas tax, which funds transportation infrastructure, hasn’t been increased since 1991 despite increases in highway miles and population growth. Consultants shared the results of a jointly funded statewide poll that indicated the public recognizes the need for more transportation funding (this is a change from past polls) and is willing to consider a raise in taxes to get there (with a sales tax or car ownership fee polling as the best mechanism over a gas tax). Per the poll, other elements that would increase support include: funding going towards repairing bridges and potholes/road conditions (strongest arguments); a percentage of funding going towards transit/bike/ped; the tax sunsetting at some point (e.g., 20 years); a list of specific transportation projects being included; and that local governments get a say in how funding is spent. A bipartisan bill is being drafted along these lines, after which there will be a massive public outreach and discussion effort (and much negotiating in the legislature). Several people stressed that if the state legislature was unable to come to an agreement on a referred statewide measure, that other entities would take action to place a ballot measure on the November ballot themselves, including the possibility of just pursuing a funding measure for the Denver metropolitan area (and letting the rural areas of the rest of the state fend for themselves if they aren’t willing to support a statewide measure).

This is obviously an important (and controversial) statewide issue affecting Boulder, and one that we will want to be at the table to discuss. In addition to broad concerns about the perils of increasing sales taxes (which is a primary way cities get their funding), Boulder will want to make sure a healthy chunk of any funding goes towards transit/bike/ped (rather than massive highway expansions—which Boulder does little of and which don’t actually improve congestion as well as managed lanes and transit). We will also want to ensure that our Northwest Corridor gets its equitable share of funding since we still haven’t gotten our fair share of FasTracks.

Housing Construction Defects: Another hot topic discussed was “Construction Defects,” which many say has resulted in no for-sale condominiums being built in the Denver metro area for the past handful of years. House Speaker Duran and Senate President Kevin Grantham have already introduced a bipartisan bill that would allow insurers to “equitably allocate the costs of defending a construction defect claim” (SB 17-045). Many mayors were concerned that they had not been consulted by the bill drafters and that the bill did not go far enough to really address the issue—underscoring the contention surrounding this hotly debated issue and the dim prospects for compromise legislation.  Boulder has largely stayed out of this issue as it has divided past Councils (over the tension between protecting consumer rights versus reducing rising insurance costs due to the potential for defects lawsuits), plus it is not clear how much this issue impacts the Boulder housing market and whether the hot rental market is more of a factor in reduced home-ownership units being built.

Autonomous Vehicles: Another topic highlighted was the drafting of pending legislation to provide a framework for allowing the testing of autonomous vehicles in Colorado, known as the Safe Autonomous Vehicles Act (SAVE Act). Autonomous vehicle testing is moving forward in other states, and the regional representative for General Motors gave a pitch for Colorado to do the same (GM would like to test their electric Chevy Volt model). The big argument by proponents is that autonomous vehicles, once the technology is perfected, would significantly reduce the number of human-error accidents and vehicle deaths. Another compelling argument is that this technology is being tested with electric vehicles providing ride-sharing (e.g., Uber)—and has the potential to propel the transition towards a more sustainable transportation future with electric vehicles and less reliance on everyone needing to own their own car (tho this outcome is not guaranteed).

Other MMC Business:  The Metro Mayors Caucus meets six times/year as a full caucus, and has four standing committees: Water & Climate, Homelessness & Hunger, Public Safety (addressing the opiate/prescription drug issue), and Transportation Advisory Committee (which meets on an as-needed basis).  I serve on Water/Climate, where we are updating the MMC position on Water Conservation, and Hunger/Homelessness, where we are trying to get others in the region to take action (right now it is mostly just Denver, Aurora and Boulder providing significant services); and this year, given the renewed interest in transportation funding, I will make sure Boulder is represented on the Transportation Advisory Committee.

Please give me a holler if you have any questions/concerns.

Also, copied below is the weekly digest prepared by MMC staff. If Council members find it of interest, let me know and I will make a practice of forwarding it on.

Cheers,
Zan

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From: Metro Mayors Caucus<mailto:catherine at metromayors.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2017 10:21 AM
To: Jones, Suzanne<mailto:JonesS at bouldercolorado.gov>
Subject: MMC Weekly Digest






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MMC WEEKLY DIGEST



IN THE DIGEST: Governor's State of the State; Denver's Office of HOPE; Booming Economy? — Not for Everyone.









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Upcoming Meetings & Events:

  *   1/19 MMC Executive Committee 10-noon
  *   1/25 Smarter Cities Task Force 8-9:30
  *   2/1 MMC Full Caucus
  *   2/15 Brighton's State of the City Address - 7:30 am - more info<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/0JL1BATwXgI7?domain=r20.rs6.net>
  *   2/28 Water & Climate Committee 9-10:30









GOVERNOR'S STATE-OF-THE-STATE HIGHLIGHTS MANY MMC ISSUES
Governor John Hickenlooper delivered his State-of-the-State speech<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/wX1DBwfdaLHw?domain=r20.rs6.net> yesterday and focused on a number of challenges facing an otherwise strong and healthy Colorado. Included among them were several issues the Metro Mayors have made priorities in recent years. Early in the speech the Governor called on the legislators to come together and move the Hospital Provider Fee<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/ar0xBdfkMwuL?domain=r20.rs6.net> into an enterprise fund instead of commingling it with general revenues capped by TABOR. He then segued to the need for infrastructure investment, urging the general assembly to send a ballot question to the voters asking for a dedicated revenue stream that balanced roadway and transit expansions. Extending the infrastructure investment message, the Governor spoke about the Colorado Water Plan<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/27L2BqcOqkI3?domain=r20.rs6.net> and CWCB’s work to keep making progress on the plan’s measurable goals. Homelessness, in particular homeless veterans, received the Governor’s attention when he spoke about providing stable supportive housing and wrap around services for the homeless throughout Colorado. He pointed out that Colorado could provide safe and supportive housing for the homeless at a third of the cost we spend now while leaving them in “misery.” And finally he asked the legislators for a construction defects<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/6R52B8uWL4ul?domain=r20.rs6.net> compromise, balancing homeowner protection and the ability of developers to create affordable attached housing for sale. Throughout the speech Governor Hickenlooper emphasized the need to approach Colorado’s challenges in a nonpartisan fashion. It remains to be seen whether this advice will be accepted.









SOLIVÁN HEADS DENVER’S NEW OFFICE OF HOPE
Eric Soliván, the former VP of Philadelphia’s Housing Authority will take the helm of Denver’s new<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/bA0MBDheOQfq?domain=r20.rs6.net> Office of Housing and Opportunities for People Everywhere (HOPE). With a $650,000 budget in 2017, Soliván will play a pivotal role in integrating and coordinating the affordable housing, homelessness and related efforts of multiple Denver agencies and departments. Mayor Michael Hancock says that the new office will “work to create a unified and forceful effort to help those who need a home to find a home, and that means homes and support for those without them, homes for our workforce who are renting and homes for our families and individuals hoping to achieve homeownership.” Soliván takes the position as Denver is poised to begin implementing its 10 year affordable housing effort which will target more than $150M in spending on the development of 6,000 affordable housing (rental and for sale) units. Read more about the property tax and impact fees that Denver is relying upon and they breakdown on units to be built here<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/JqrOBEinoNsb?domain=r20.rs6.net> or read Jon Murray’s coverage in the January 9 Denver Post<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/bA0MBDheOQfq?domain=r20.rs6.net>.









COLORADO ECONOMY ADDING JOBS FASTER THAN OTHER STATES—GOOD NEWS SINCE YOU MIGHT NEED TWO TO MAKE ENDS MEET
This Denver Post story<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/X8XoBYf2Z6i2?domain=r20.rs6.net> from last month pointed out that while our unemployment rate of 3.2% is among the lowest, that percentage masks a shrinking workforce, and a flat median wage. The jobs that are available are largely unattractive and low wage. The Colorado Center on Law and Policy released the 2016 edition of the State of Working Colorado report<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/7Gg2BQtgDLUv?domain=r20.rs6.net> chronicling changes in the workforce. Among the findings in the report is that low wage jobs are actually driving men between the ages of  25 to 54 out of the workforce. In 2015, that segment of the workforce had dropped to 87.6%, from 91.7% in 2007. The report suggests that Colorado needs to add 118,000 jobs per year over the next 3 years. But the Colorado Business Economic Outlook<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/EJrDBEToAYum?domain=r20.rs6.net> from CU, Boulder, expects only about 63,500 new jobs in 2017. And those new jobs are estimated to pay less<https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/RKapBXfO86I6?domain=r20.rs6.net> than needed to cover costs of living, mostly for housing.  In 2000, 10% of Colorado jobs did not pay enough to cover cost of living for a single adult. In 2016 that percentage rose to 21%. Michele Webster of  CCLP says, “the purpose of this report is to tell a broader story, to focus on the lower end of the income spectrum, and unfortunately, it is not a pretty picture.”









SEND US YOUR STATE OF THE CITY!
Let us know when you are doing your State of the City - we will include it in the upcoming events information!














Metro Mayors Caucus
catherine at metromayors.org | 720.280.3358
peter at metromayors.org | 303.507.7394


















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