WEEK OF NOVEMBER 14, 2024
VOLUME 35| ISSUE 46
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Adams 14’s requests for funding go down to defeat Regulators eyeing Xcel lobbying, salary costs
BY JACKIE RAMIREZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
The Adams 14 School District’s requests for $124 million in funding through a bond and mill levy were denied with just under a difference of 600 votes on Wednesday. The last time Adams 14 reached out to voters was more than 10 years ago. As of now, Adams 14’s three attempts to request help from voters have failed. “Although the district is disappointed by its outcome, Adams 14 remains committed to its mission of providing quality education to the students and families it serves across Commerce City,” the school district announced in a press release Wednesday. Appearing as ballot measures 4A and 4B, the Adams 14 district community voted 47.8% to 52.2% for the mill levy 4A and 47.6% to 52.4% for the bond proposal 4B in preliminary results. For Adams 14, the cost compares to the price of two street tacos and or a six pack of soda, or homeowners would have paid about $6.52 per $100,000 value on their home. Ballot measure 4A proposed a 10mill property tax override to “boost teacher and classified support staff salaries.” Although the collection of
Regulators put curbs on investor relations and executive salaries
A view of the Alsup Elementary School playground in August 2024.
property taxes is already in place, the measure, now denied, will prevent the district’s continuation of collecting property taxes at the same rate. Ballot measure 4B proposed us-
LONDON LYLE
ing $113.9 million to build a new middle school, combining both Kearney Middle School and Adams City SEE ADAMS 14, P5
Nail-biter for 8th District congressional seat • Vestas to lay off 200 employees •27J Schools moves online-only Dec. 1
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BUSINESS LOCAL
Caraveo holds slim lead over Evans as votes dribble in BY MONTE WHALEY MWHALEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
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LOCAL OBITUARIES LEGALS CLASSIFIED
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Incumbent Yadira Caraveo held a narrow 2,359-vote lead over her Republican challenger Gabe Evans for the highly coveted 8th Congressional District seat as of Nov. 7. Carveo led Evans 49%-to-48% as of Nov. 7 in Congressional District 8. Caraveo appeared to lead in Adams County while Evans was leading in Weld and Larimer counties. Over $20 million was spent in both super PAC money and by candidates in the race, which was seen by pundits as key in controlling the U.S. House of Representatives. Caraveo defeated her Republican opponent Barb Kirkmeyer in 2022 by just 1,600 votes, a race in which PAC’s spent $16.6 million in the general election, accordSEE CD 8, P4
Republican Congressional District 8 Candidate Gabe Evans talks with supporters at his MONTE WHALEY watch party in Brighton Nov. 5.
BRIEFS: 2 | OBITUARIES: 5 | CLASSIFIEDS: 9
Colorado utility regulators — using the mandates in a 2023 law — are looking to carve lobbying fees, trade association dues and investor relations costs from Xcel Energy rate requests. In a current gas rate case, more than $775,000 in such costs were disallowed. The figure in the future could be a lot higher based on the Colorado Public Utilities Commission decision in October ordering Xcel Energy to remove all investor relations costs — including a portion of executive salaries — from its calculations of costs passed on to customers. “There is an inherent tension between customer benefits and investor benefits,” said Joseph Pereira, deputy director of the Colorado Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate, which represents residential and small commercial customers before the PUC. “Customers shouldn’t pay to boost the share price.” In the wake of soaring utility bills in the 2022-23 winter, when the average gas bill rose 52% for residential customers of Xcel Energy’s subsidiary Public Service Company of Colorado, the legislature convened a special committee to investigate rates. The result of that inquiry was Senate Bill 291, which aims to avoid the bill shock customers experienced. It also took aim at 15 types of expenses that should not be paid by customers, such as a portion of board of directors’ compensation, travel and entertainment expenses. The commission is still working on setting the rules to comply with Senate Bill 291. The PUC is using interim rules for the gas rate case. Xcel Energy was seeking a $172 million increase in gas rates. The PUC granted the company a $130 million increase, with a $15 million adjustment for depreciation expenses, raising the average monthly household bill 7.7% or $4.57 and small commercial bills by $17.49. Colorado customers like people everywhere in the county are concerned about how high their energy bills have become,” said David Pomerantz, executive director of the nonprofit Energy and Policy Institute. “Underlying a lot of those concerns, is how politically powerful utilities are and how they are paying for that with money that’s not theirs.” 3 other states keep corporate costs from being charged to consumers Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine have passed laws similar to Colorado, and bills have been filed in 11 other states seeking to limit lobbying and other charges, Pomerantz said. In a recent Xcel Energy gas rate case in Minnesota, the Citizens Utility Board, a nonprofit consumer advocate, challenged the dues paid to the American Gas Association, a trade group, and the Chamber of Commerce, noting that those charges are excluded by statute in Colorado. In a settlement agreement, Xcel Energy agreed to remove the dues from customer charges. SEE XCEL, P6
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