Seed Newsvine
Gov. Bill Ritter and state treasurer Cary Kennedy are expected to announce today that the state's colleges and universities will have more than $200 million available for 12 construction projects.
The state raised the money through sales of "Certificates of Participation" Wednesday and today.
The construction projects, authorized by SB 08-218, SB 08-233 and HJR 08-1042, are:
1. University of Northern Colorado: Butler-Hancock Renovation
2. Colorado Northwestern Community College: Academic Building, Craig Campus
3. Colorado State University at Pueblo: Academic Resources Center Remodel
4. Colorado School of Mines: Brown Hall Addition
5. CSU Fort Collins: Clark Building Revitalization
6. Auraria Higher Education Campus: Science Building
7. Western State College: Taylor Hall Renovation and Addition
8. Mesa State College: Wubben Hall Expansion and Renovation
9. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs: Renovation of Science Building
10. Morgan Community College: Nursing, Technology & Science Building
11. Front Range Community College, Larimer Campus: Science Classroom Project
12. Fort Lewis College: Berndt Hall Reconstruction
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Ritter: No Performance Pay for State Employees
Gov. Bill Ritter had bad news for state employees today.
The state's chief executive announced today that he will recommend to the General Assembly's Joint Budget Committee in November that state employees not receive performance-pay salary increases in FY 2009.
The move would save taxpayers $36 million and affect more than 26,000 state employees.
“By withholding performance-pay increases, tens of thousands of state employees are being asked to help serve as responsible stewards of taxpayer funds," Ritter said. "This is a pro-active and precautionary step that will give us even greater flexibility should we need to take additional budget-saving measures down the road.”
Performance-pay increases, first initiated in FY 2002, are based on employees’ on-the-job achievements. They supplement more standard salary increases that are based on market surveys.
Prior to FY 2002 state employees received annual pay increases based on the market surveys plus an automatic five percent increase after five years of service and another five percent increase after 10 years of service.
Since their inception performance pay increases have not been granted for budgetary reasons in fiscal years 2003, 2005 and 2006. In the years that performance-based pay increases were granted, they have ranged from one-half of one percent to five percent. Salary-survey-based pay increases have ranged from 2-3.8 percent during the past few years.
Ritter’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting estimates a general fund savings of $21 million, plus another $15 million from outside the general fund, by forgoing performance-based pay increases in FY 2009, which starts July 1, 2009.
The governor's proposed FY 2009 budget proposal is scheduled to be submitted to the Joint Budget Committee on Nov. 1.
The state's chief executive announced today that he will recommend to the General Assembly's Joint Budget Committee in November that state employees not receive performance-pay salary increases in FY 2009.
The move would save taxpayers $36 million and affect more than 26,000 state employees.
“By withholding performance-pay increases, tens of thousands of state employees are being asked to help serve as responsible stewards of taxpayer funds," Ritter said. "This is a pro-active and precautionary step that will give us even greater flexibility should we need to take additional budget-saving measures down the road.”
Performance-pay increases, first initiated in FY 2002, are based on employees’ on-the-job achievements. They supplement more standard salary increases that are based on market surveys.
Prior to FY 2002 state employees received annual pay increases based on the market surveys plus an automatic five percent increase after five years of service and another five percent increase after 10 years of service.
Since their inception performance pay increases have not been granted for budgetary reasons in fiscal years 2003, 2005 and 2006. In the years that performance-based pay increases were granted, they have ranged from one-half of one percent to five percent. Salary-survey-based pay increases have ranged from 2-3.8 percent during the past few years.
Ritter’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting estimates a general fund savings of $21 million, plus another $15 million from outside the general fund, by forgoing performance-based pay increases in FY 2009, which starts July 1, 2009.
The governor's proposed FY 2009 budget proposal is scheduled to be submitted to the Joint Budget Committee on Nov. 1.
Ritter Says Colorado Capitol Building is LEED-Certified
Gov. Bill Ritter put a feather in his renewable energy cap today, announcing that the Colorado capitol building has become the first such building in the United States to obtain certification for "leadership in energy and environmental design for existing buildings" which is awarded for energy efficiency upgrades made over the past four years.
The capitol, which was constructed in 1895, also has become the first building in the country to receive the U.S. Green Building Council’s new LEED operations and maintenance certification for existing buildings.
“Even with historic structures as old as our Capitol, we have become a leader in energy reduction and energy efficiency," Ritter said. "Not only does this benefit the environment, but we will save taxpayers $1 million a year on reduced and avoided energy costs.”
The LEED certification system provides an outline for buildings to use less energy, water and natural resources, and improve the indoor environment.
“This recognition couldn’t come at a better time for Colorado. It allows us to showcase the efforts of a state that is committed to the future of a sustainable built environment,” U.S. Green Building Council president and chief executive officer Rick Fedrizzi said.
The LEED-EB certification is awarded to those who can certify an existing building has been retrofitted in a manner that demonstrates certain efficiency standards for its ongoing operations and maintenance.
In addition to the Capitol, three other state buildings in the Capitol Complex previously received "LEED for Existing Buildings" certifications: the State Services Building at 1525 Sherman St., the state Judicial/Heritage Center at 14th and Broadway, and the State Human Services Building at 1575 Sherman St.
The Governor’s Residence and the Colorado Division of Labor and Employment building at 251 E. 12th Ave. are also under review for LEED certification.
Building specific improvements that have been made to the Capitol in order to obtain LEED-EB certification include water conservation efforts such as low flow toilets, use of low energy light bulbs and T-8 light fixtures, improved energy controls, use of green cleaning products, initiation and maintenance of a recycling program, purchase of "Energy Star®" electronics and equipment, and use of environmentally friendly landscaping products and plans.
The capitol, which was constructed in 1895, also has become the first building in the country to receive the U.S. Green Building Council’s new LEED operations and maintenance certification for existing buildings.
“Even with historic structures as old as our Capitol, we have become a leader in energy reduction and energy efficiency," Ritter said. "Not only does this benefit the environment, but we will save taxpayers $1 million a year on reduced and avoided energy costs.”
The LEED certification system provides an outline for buildings to use less energy, water and natural resources, and improve the indoor environment.
“This recognition couldn’t come at a better time for Colorado. It allows us to showcase the efforts of a state that is committed to the future of a sustainable built environment,” U.S. Green Building Council president and chief executive officer Rick Fedrizzi said.
The LEED-EB certification is awarded to those who can certify an existing building has been retrofitted in a manner that demonstrates certain efficiency standards for its ongoing operations and maintenance.
In addition to the Capitol, three other state buildings in the Capitol Complex previously received "LEED for Existing Buildings" certifications: the State Services Building at 1525 Sherman St., the state Judicial/Heritage Center at 14th and Broadway, and the State Human Services Building at 1575 Sherman St.
The Governor’s Residence and the Colorado Division of Labor and Employment building at 251 E. 12th Ave. are also under review for LEED certification.
Building specific improvements that have been made to the Capitol in order to obtain LEED-EB certification include water conservation efforts such as low flow toilets, use of low energy light bulbs and T-8 light fixtures, improved energy controls, use of green cleaning products, initiation and maintenance of a recycling program, purchase of "Energy Star®" electronics and equipment, and use of environmentally friendly landscaping products and plans.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Ritter Announces Energy Grants
Gov. Bill Ritter today announced the first recipients of the “New Energy Communities Initiative,” deciding to fund 14 projects around the state that his administration thinks will "stimulate economic growth, create new jobs, enhance sustainability and lead to more livable communities all across Colorado."
“The New Energy Communities Initiative will be a valuable resource for communities that are working together to build Colorado’s New Energy Economy,” Ritter said during a keynote address at the second annual New Energy Economy Conference at the Colorado Convention Center. “These 14 projects will enhance livability, strengthen the economy and reward regional collaboration throughout Colorado.”
The 14 grant recipients, representing regional and collaborative efforts, were selected from 32 applications. About 1.8 million people live in the areas that will benefit from these projects. The projects are:
1. Avon Heat Recovery Facility: $1.5 million
2. Boulder County Biomass Heating Initiative: $500,000
3. Cortez Micro-Hydroelectric Plant: $500,000
4. Fort Collins Regional New Energy Communities Initiative: $778,000
5. Garfield County New Energy Communities Initiative: $1.6 million
6. Grand Junction New Energy Communities Initiative: $1 million
7. Greeley Intergovernmental New Energy Communities Initiative: $700,000
8. La Plata County Regional New Energy Communities Initiative: $1.2 million
9. Longmont New Energy Communities Initiative: $500,000
10. Loveland Multi-Agency New Energy Communities Initiative: $39,250
11. Pikes Peak Region New Energy Communities Initiative: $200,000
12. Pueblo Sustainable New Energy Communities Initiative: $1 million
13. Routt County New Energy Communities Initiative: $87,000
14. Yuma County New Energy Communities Initiative: $400,000
"The New Energy Communities Initiative provides an energy and economic stimulus that rewards communities throughout Colorado for innovative ideas that will save energy, save money and create jobs,” Governor's Energy Office director Tom Plant said.
Gov. Ritter announced the establishment of the New Energy Communities Initiative at the Colorado Municipal League’s annual conference in Steamboat Springs in June. The initiative is a joint effort of Colorado Department of Local Affairs and the Governor's Energy Office. It is designed to maximize energy efficiency and conservation, enhance community livability, promote economic development, and address climate change by reducing carbon emissions.
The program directs $10 million in Energy Impact Assistance Funds to regional efforts, with a maximum of $2 million per region.
“These grants will help local communities upgrade, retrofit or develop energy efficient public facilities, enhance street-scape improvements and downtown revitalization, and assist local governments’ efforts to educate homeowners on energy efficient upgrades and retrofits to meet higher energy efficiency standards,” Susan Kirkpatrick, executive director of the Department of Local Affairs, said.
The Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance program assists communities in offsetting the direct impacts of energy and mineral development and in meeting other needs indirectly related to such development. The funds are administered by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and come from the state severance tax on oil, gas, carbon dioxide, coal and metals and from the state's share of royalties paid to the federal government for the extraction of minerals and mineral fuels on federally owned land.
“The New Energy Communities Initiative will be a valuable resource for communities that are working together to build Colorado’s New Energy Economy,” Ritter said during a keynote address at the second annual New Energy Economy Conference at the Colorado Convention Center. “These 14 projects will enhance livability, strengthen the economy and reward regional collaboration throughout Colorado.”
The 14 grant recipients, representing regional and collaborative efforts, were selected from 32 applications. About 1.8 million people live in the areas that will benefit from these projects. The projects are:
1. Avon Heat Recovery Facility: $1.5 million
2. Boulder County Biomass Heating Initiative: $500,000
3. Cortez Micro-Hydroelectric Plant: $500,000
4. Fort Collins Regional New Energy Communities Initiative: $778,000
5. Garfield County New Energy Communities Initiative: $1.6 million
6. Grand Junction New Energy Communities Initiative: $1 million
7. Greeley Intergovernmental New Energy Communities Initiative: $700,000
8. La Plata County Regional New Energy Communities Initiative: $1.2 million
9. Longmont New Energy Communities Initiative: $500,000
10. Loveland Multi-Agency New Energy Communities Initiative: $39,250
11. Pikes Peak Region New Energy Communities Initiative: $200,000
12. Pueblo Sustainable New Energy Communities Initiative: $1 million
13. Routt County New Energy Communities Initiative: $87,000
14. Yuma County New Energy Communities Initiative: $400,000
"The New Energy Communities Initiative provides an energy and economic stimulus that rewards communities throughout Colorado for innovative ideas that will save energy, save money and create jobs,” Governor's Energy Office director Tom Plant said.
Gov. Ritter announced the establishment of the New Energy Communities Initiative at the Colorado Municipal League’s annual conference in Steamboat Springs in June. The initiative is a joint effort of Colorado Department of Local Affairs and the Governor's Energy Office. It is designed to maximize energy efficiency and conservation, enhance community livability, promote economic development, and address climate change by reducing carbon emissions.
The program directs $10 million in Energy Impact Assistance Funds to regional efforts, with a maximum of $2 million per region.
“These grants will help local communities upgrade, retrofit or develop energy efficient public facilities, enhance street-scape improvements and downtown revitalization, and assist local governments’ efforts to educate homeowners on energy efficient upgrades and retrofits to meet higher energy efficiency standards,” Susan Kirkpatrick, executive director of the Department of Local Affairs, said.
The Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance program assists communities in offsetting the direct impacts of energy and mineral development and in meeting other needs indirectly related to such development. The funds are administered by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and come from the state severance tax on oil, gas, carbon dioxide, coal and metals and from the state's share of royalties paid to the federal government for the extraction of minerals and mineral fuels on federally owned land.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Romanoff Wins Prestigious Award for Public Service
Colorado's House speaker, Denver Democrat Andrew Romanoff, is one of the government leaders around the nation that have been named among the winners of Governing magazine's Public Official of the Year awards for 2008.
The award is given in recognition of "outstanding achievement in state and local government," according to a press release.
“These public officials each asked tough questions, and when they had their answers, they weren’t afraid to act," Alan Ehrenhalt, the magazine's executive editor, said. "Their leadership has led to unexpected progress—from reduced blight on foreclosed properties to the exoneration of inmates who were wrongly convicted to the removal of unsafe cold medicines from the shelves. These officials prove that by asking sometimes painful questions, smart, dedicated people can change government for the better.”
According to a press release issued by the magazine, Romanoff is being recognized because he "built a bipartisan coalition to take on the politically risky task of overhauling a constitutional provision that was crippling the state budget."
He is joined in receiving the award by St. Petersburg, FL Mayor Rick Baker, who spearheaded a building boom in his city’s downtown while improving schools, parks and public facilities in neighborhoods throughout St. Petersburg; Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who championed landmark infrastructure and health care legislation, while improving the management of state government and putting his state on a sound fiscal footing; Dallas County, TX district attorney Craig Watkins, whose push for DNA testing identified and freed 19 inmates who had been wrongly convicted, many of whom had been behind bars for years; Baltimore, MD, health director Joshua Sharfstein, who led a national campaign that called into question the safety and effectiveness of children’s cold medicines, prompting drug companies to pull the medications and resulting in new Food and Drug Administration rules; Hawaii's director of human services Lillian Koller, who overhauled her state’s system of dealing with at-risk children, cutting child abuse and reducing the number of children in foster care; Dayton, OH housing inspector John Carter, who untangled the webs of the mortgage services industry to determine which lending companies had the title to vacant properties, then worked with these companies to fix and maintain the abandoned homes; and Michigan chief information security officer Dan Lohrmann, whose pioneering efforts to keep state computers and networks secure are viewed as a model by technology officials around the country.
The award winners are profiled in the November issue of Governing and will be honored at a dinner November 12 in Washington, D.C.
This year’s group of recipients is the fifteenth to be honored by the magazine. Governing is an independent national magazine devoted to coverage of state and local government. It has a circulation of 85,000 state and local officials.
The award is given in recognition of "outstanding achievement in state and local government," according to a press release.
“These public officials each asked tough questions, and when they had their answers, they weren’t afraid to act," Alan Ehrenhalt, the magazine's executive editor, said. "Their leadership has led to unexpected progress—from reduced blight on foreclosed properties to the exoneration of inmates who were wrongly convicted to the removal of unsafe cold medicines from the shelves. These officials prove that by asking sometimes painful questions, smart, dedicated people can change government for the better.”
According to a press release issued by the magazine, Romanoff is being recognized because he "built a bipartisan coalition to take on the politically risky task of overhauling a constitutional provision that was crippling the state budget."
He is joined in receiving the award by St. Petersburg, FL Mayor Rick Baker, who spearheaded a building boom in his city’s downtown while improving schools, parks and public facilities in neighborhoods throughout St. Petersburg; Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who championed landmark infrastructure and health care legislation, while improving the management of state government and putting his state on a sound fiscal footing; Dallas County, TX district attorney Craig Watkins, whose push for DNA testing identified and freed 19 inmates who had been wrongly convicted, many of whom had been behind bars for years; Baltimore, MD, health director Joshua Sharfstein, who led a national campaign that called into question the safety and effectiveness of children’s cold medicines, prompting drug companies to pull the medications and resulting in new Food and Drug Administration rules; Hawaii's director of human services Lillian Koller, who overhauled her state’s system of dealing with at-risk children, cutting child abuse and reducing the number of children in foster care; Dayton, OH housing inspector John Carter, who untangled the webs of the mortgage services industry to determine which lending companies had the title to vacant properties, then worked with these companies to fix and maintain the abandoned homes; and Michigan chief information security officer Dan Lohrmann, whose pioneering efforts to keep state computers and networks secure are viewed as a model by technology officials around the country.
The award winners are profiled in the November issue of Governing and will be honored at a dinner November 12 in Washington, D.C.
This year’s group of recipients is the fifteenth to be honored by the magazine. Governing is an independent national magazine devoted to coverage of state and local government. It has a circulation of 85,000 state and local officials.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Ritter Tells Coffman He Should Clarify that Voter Deadline is Election Day
Gov. Bill Ritter today urged Secretary of State Mike Coffman to immediately correct an error Coffman’s office made regarding the deadline for fixing an incomplete voter registration application. The deadline is actually Nov. 4 (Election Day), not Oct. 6 as previously announced by Coffman.
Ritter also asked Coffman to cooperate with the administration in seeking an expansion of early voting opportunities in counties across the state.
“We are less than one month away from an election in which record numbers of people will seek to cast their ballots in Colorado and across the nation,” Ritter said. “We must do everything we can to ensure Colorado is in full compliance with all provisions of the Help America Vote Act, that voters are not being improperly purged from the voting rolls, and that eligible and qualified citizens are not being improperly denied the ability to register to vote.”
The text of Ritter's letter is available here.
Ritter also asked Coffman to cooperate with the administration in seeking an expansion of early voting opportunities in counties across the state.
“We are less than one month away from an election in which record numbers of people will seek to cast their ballots in Colorado and across the nation,” Ritter said. “We must do everything we can to ensure Colorado is in full compliance with all provisions of the Help America Vote Act, that voters are not being improperly purged from the voting rolls, and that eligible and qualified citizens are not being improperly denied the ability to register to vote.”
The text of Ritter's letter is available here.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Kennedy: State Investments are Safe
In the aftermath of turmoil on Wall Street and in the nation's credit markets, Colorado treasurer Cary Kennedy is insisting that the state's money is not at risk.
Colorado has almost $7 billion in investment holdings.
“The most important thing for people to know is that our first priority is protecting the safety of taxpayer funds,” Kennedy said. “We take a highly conservative approach in our investments. Our exposure to the ups and downs of the market is limited.”
Kennedy said that the state had not realized any losses up to this point, and that she was continuing to monitor both the national and the local economic situation.
“The state does not invest in equities, therefore we’re more insulated when the markets rise and fall," Kennedy said. “What we’re going through now in our financial markets is unprecedented, but we are as strongly protected as possible.”
Specifically, Kennedy said that the Treasury did not have holdings of asset-backed commercial paper or structured investment vehicles.
“We do not hold collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), and we are not holding money market funds that are in trouble,” she said.
The state treasurer, a Democrat elected in 2006, also explained that Colorado had no equity stakes in companies such as Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley or Merrill Lynch. About one half of one percent of the state’s investment holdings is in two subsidiaries of AIG.
In December 2007 Kennedy discontinued the state’s securities lending program due to concerns she had about the market’s direction.
“Our analysis last December showed it wasn’t worth the risk to continue the program, so we stopped it,” she said.
Kennedy also put the state’s investment holdings online as one of her first acts after taking office. “Transparency is the best way for people to have confidence in what we hold,” said Kennedy.
Colorado has almost $7 billion in investment holdings.
“The most important thing for people to know is that our first priority is protecting the safety of taxpayer funds,” Kennedy said. “We take a highly conservative approach in our investments. Our exposure to the ups and downs of the market is limited.”
Kennedy said that the state had not realized any losses up to this point, and that she was continuing to monitor both the national and the local economic situation.
“The state does not invest in equities, therefore we’re more insulated when the markets rise and fall," Kennedy said. “What we’re going through now in our financial markets is unprecedented, but we are as strongly protected as possible.”
Specifically, Kennedy said that the Treasury did not have holdings of asset-backed commercial paper or structured investment vehicles.
“We do not hold collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), and we are not holding money market funds that are in trouble,” she said.
The state treasurer, a Democrat elected in 2006, also explained that Colorado had no equity stakes in companies such as Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley or Merrill Lynch. About one half of one percent of the state’s investment holdings is in two subsidiaries of AIG.
In December 2007 Kennedy discontinued the state’s securities lending program due to concerns she had about the market’s direction.
“Our analysis last December showed it wasn’t worth the risk to continue the program, so we stopped it,” she said.
Kennedy also put the state’s investment holdings online as one of her first acts after taking office. “Transparency is the best way for people to have confidence in what we hold,” said Kennedy.
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