Fund It or Fix It: Where government meets the people
By RICK TAGGART, JANICE RICH and MATT SOPER
When lawmakers pass a new bill, there’s one question we should all ask before we vote: Who’s going to pay for it?
Too often, that question goes unanswered. Across Colorado, local governments are being asked to carry out new state laws — on everything from wildfire codes to building standards — without the funding to make them possible. These are called unfunded mandates, and they’ve quietly become one of the biggest threats to local budgets and the essential services people depend on.
In Mesa County alone, these mandates now cost nearly $10 million each year. Statewide, the total is estimated at more than $360 million — money that could otherwise fund deputies, road repairs, or mental health programs. Instead, it covers the cost of laws the state created but didn’t fund.
Between the three of us, we’ve spent more than four decades serving in local government — as city council members, a mayor, a chairman of a special district board, a county clerk and recorder, and a county treasurer. We’ve balanced budgets and enforced the laws passed under the Gold Dome. We’ve seen firsthand how decisions made in Denver ripple through our communities. And we’ve come to one shared conclusion: Colorado must start paying its own bills.
State law — C.R.S. § 29-1-304.5—is clear: if the state requires a service but doesn’t fund it, local governments don’t have to provide it. That’s not a loophole — it’s a safeguard meant to protect taxpayers from the state shifting its costs onto local shoulders.
So when someone asks whether counties are “picking and choosing” which laws to follow, the truth is this: It’s the state that’s picking and choosing which laws to fund.
From our years in local government, we know how damaging this is. Too often, fiscal notes dismiss the impact on counties and cities with the phrase “minimal impact.” We know that’s not true. Those costs add up — and they fall directly on local taxpayers who already expect us to do more with less.
As members of the Joint Budget Committee and the General Assembly, we’ve pushed for fiscal notes that reflect real-world costs. We’ve urged our budget analysts to pick up the phone, talk to local officials, and understand how state decisions play out in rural communities and small towns. When you do that — when you really listen — you realize these challenges aren’t partisan; they’re practical.
Rural counties, in particular, feel this burden most. They have just a few dedicated employees keeping roads safe, running elections, and serving their neighbors. When the state adds new requirements without funding them, something essential gets cut. And when you’ve worked at that level, you understand the frustration of being handed an order without the means to fulfill it.
That’s why nearly 40 counties across Colorado — Democratic, Republican, and independent alike — have joined together under the banner of “Fund It or Fix It.” From Boulder to Baca, Delta to Summit, local governments are united in saying: if the state mandates it, the state should fund it.
This isn’t about party politics. It’s about honest budgeting and responsible governance. It’s about keeping our fiscal house in order so we can continue serving the people of Colorado with integrity and transparency.
To restore trust and fiscal fairness, we’re calling on legislative leaders, fiscal analysts, and local partners to work together. Let’s make fiscal notes accurate and transparent. Let’s review outdated mandates that no longer make sense. And let’s ensure every new law comes with a sustainable funding source.
When Coloradans need help, they don’t call the Capitol — they call their county.
Counties — urban and rural, conservative and progressive — show up every day to deliver for Colorado. They run public health and human services, manage planning and building codes, operate jails and community corrections, maintain roads and bridges, oversee elections, and ensure that clerks, assessors, and sheriffs can serve their communities effectively.
By law, counties must balance their budgets. Every dollar is accounted for, and every line item is open to the public. Local government is transparent, accountable, and efficient — but even the most capable county can’t deliver new services without new funding.
When the state makes a promise without the money to back it up, local governments are the ones left to pick up the pieces.
And this isn’t just a rural problem or a conservative complaint. When Mesa County and Boulder County — two places with vastly different politics — say the same thing, it should make us all stop and listen. They’re both saying, “This isn’t sustainable.”
Because at the end of the day, this isn’t about bureaucracy — it’s about people.
When the snow falls, the plow should arrive.
When a family is in crisis, there should be help available.
That’s what local government does. That’s what your county does.
Colorado can pass all the legislation it wants — but if those laws come without funding, they don’t represent progress. They represent a broken promise. Real progress happens when we match good intentions with real resources.
The people doing the work — caseworkers, deputies, clerks, and road crews — are already giving everything they have. Let’s make sure they have what they need to keep serving their communities.
Let’s fund what we pass, fix what’s broken, and give local government the resources to deliver for the people of Colorado.
Because when local government succeeds, Colorado’s people succeed.
