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VOLUME 120 | ISSUE 26
WEEK OF JUNE 29, 2023
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Winners Guide Inside This Issue! • 2023 BEST OF THE BEST • Online at: bit.ly/2023BestOfTheBest
Adams County hosts Tiny Home Festival
Colorado taxpayers should see hefty refund checks Good news on revenues means more money coming back to residents BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN
than ever. “This new legislation will make tiny home living in Colorado a more viable option,” said Art Laubach, Colorado Tiny House Festival organizer. “The legislation will protect consumers setting standards for
Colorado taxpayers will be sent even larger refund checks next year than expected after state tax revenues finished the fiscal year much higher than budget analysts for the legislature and in the governor’s office predicted. The state may now have to refund nearly $1 billion more than originally expected, nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff and the governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting told state lawmakers in June, increasing refund checks by hundreds of dollars per person. Exactly how large those Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights refund checks will be remains in flux, in part because the number will be determined by whether voters pass Proposition HH in November, a 10-year property tax relief plan from Democrats in the General Assembly and Gov. Jared Polis. The legislature passed a bill in the final three days of its 2023 lawmaking term, which ended May 8, that would make the refund check amounts the same for everyone if voters pass Proposition HH.
SEE TINY HOMES, P4
SEE REFUND, P6
This tiny home is built by the Adams 12 high school students in the construction pathway program. They donate the houses to Access Housing, which we are a nonprofit dedicated to helping homeless youth and families transition out of homelessPHOTO BY BELEN WARD ness. BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The sixth annual Tiny Home Festival returned to Riverdale Park on June 24 and 25, showcasing some big ideas with small footprints. The park was busy, with many people lining up to see each one
of a kind of custom-built home. Each tiny house ranged from 400 square to larger, with amenities like full-size washers, dryers, and kitchen appliances. Legislators approved the Colorado Tiny House Bill, House Bill 22-1242, that creates construction standards for theand , makes the event more timely
VOICES: PAGE 8 | OBITUARIES: PAGE 9 | LIFE: PAGE 10 | CLASSIFIEDS: PAGE 20 THEBRIGHTONSTANDARDBLADE.COM • A PUBLICATION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Landmark 20th
July 28, 29 & 30
Evergreen Jazz Festival Big Talent! Small Venues! Great Setting!
Dancers Welcome!
Free Parking!
EvergreenJazz.org 303-697-5467