Sen. Dylan Roberts and Rep. Meghan Lukens held a town hall at the Avon Public Library on Sunday to share information on bills they are working on and answer questions about current happenings in the Colorado General Assembly.

Attendees did not ask about holding the Colorado Department of Transportation accountable for complications such as the dangerous lack of crosswalks and lighting along U.S. Highway 6, the Vail Pass construction project, or the many lights out along Interstate 70 in Vail.

Roberts and Lukens addressed some highway safety concerns, including Senate Bill 24-100, which would require semi-truck drivers to remain in the right lane along certain sections of Interstate 70. The bill saw its first committee hearing last week and may see several amendments, considering adding Dowd Junction and Floyd Hill to the areas where trucks must remain on the right, according to Roberts.

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The bill also includes a section proposing the doubling of fines for speeding in Glenwood Canyon, following the doubling of fines for speeding on steep grades such as Vail Pass and Floyd Hill last year.

One audience member asked about how cross-country trucking companies would be held accountable by the new policies.

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As currently written, the bill would increase fines for truckers in violation of the law.

“CDOT has seen a correlation between increasing financial penalties and reducing the number of incidents,” Roberts said.

Another option might be to increase the number of points against an individual’s license, which can have repercussions for drivers who derive their livelihood from long-haul trucking, rather than targeting the companies.

“We do need to work more with the companies that send drivers out from Georgia, or the South, California, who have never seen snow in their lives,” Roberts said. “This will be an issue that we’re working on for a while.”

Gun control legislation

Several town hall attendees expressed interest in bills currently in the state legislature related to gun control. Senate Bill 24-131, or the “Safe Spaces Bill,” would prohibit the carrying of concealed and open-carry guns by civilians in a long list of so-called “sensitive spaces,” including schools, libraries, and movie theaters.

The bill is in committee this week at the Senate, and sponsors are working on amendments to narrow the list of places the bill includes, according to Roberts.

“There has been some concern and pushback on that bill that I think is valid about disproportionate enforceability and impact that police may choose to enforce in different communities over other ones,” Roberts said.

Roberts mentioned that he supported a bill in 2021 that passed through the state legislature and allowed local municipalities to decide to outlaw carrying guns in any location. The city of Denver and Boulder County have both created laws following the bill, along with a few other municipalities, but most of Colorado has not.

Roberts said he is “still trying to learn about the bill and determine whether it’s a good idea or not, at least as a statewide policy, and why aren’t more municipalities taking it up,” and would not be able to say how he feels about the bill before seeing amendments.

Lukens spoke about the so-called “Assault Weapons Ban Bill” that is currently in the House, which would limit the purchasing and possessing of weapons typically used in mass shootings. The bill has not yet had a committee hearing and is headed to the judiciary committee, which Lukens does not sit on.

Last year, there was a similar bill in the House that did not make it out of the committee hearing. Lukens said she had several concerns about last year’s bill, including around the definition of assault weapons, the enforceability of the policies, and whether the state should make the decision rather than local municipalities.

Lukens said she is “paying close attention” to the new bill, which has addressed many of her concerns about last year’s bill and is “currently uncommitted in either direction,” while awaiting the results of the committee hearing.

Postal Service issues, property taxes

Another attendee raised concerns about the current issues with the United States Postal Service in Eagle County.

While the concern is decidedly a regional issue in Colorado’s sprawling Western Slope, Lukens said it falls under federal jurisdiction, meaning she and Roberts cannot create decisive changes themselves. “We do have regular conversations with our federal colleagues that I know are working to address these issues,” Lukens said. 

A liaison from Rep. Joe Neguse’s office toured the Avon Post Office last week, said Avon Mayor Amy Phillips, which serves as an indicator of Neguse’s commitment to pursuing the issue at the federal level.

An audience member asked about what Lukens and Roberts might do to address the significant increase many saw in their 2023 property taxes following rising valuations in the previous valuation period.

A bipartisan commission made up of legislators, local officials, assessors and non-government representatives called the Colorado Property Tax Commission was created as a result of a special session in November, Roberts said. The commission has been meeting every week since December and collecting input around the state and will be presenting its findings to the state legislature in the next few weeks.

“I think we may come up with a proposal, and, with everything I’m hearing, will come up with a proposal that will create a long-term solution for property taxes that reduces people’s property tax obligations in years going forward, but also maintains the crucial local services that we all rely on,” Roberts said. 

There will “probably” be a ballot measure question about property taxes this year, Roberts said.

State legislators will need to find a balance between limiting property taxes and ensuring tax-funded entities, especially schools and counties, still receive the funding they need to operate.

“We have to tread a very careful line here,” Roberts said.

Roberts also answered a question about Senate Bill 24-33, which made waves when it was introduced at the start of this year’s legislative session for its impacts on short-term rentals. The bill’s sponsor is currently working on amendments, Roberts said, and, if passed, would look drastically different from its original form. 

“I don’t think we’ll see a bill pass that changes the property tax classification,” Roberts said.

At most, the bill would create a “data gathering mechanism” to allow lawmakers to better understand short-term rentals in Colorado. “So we’ll see,” he said.