From wildfires and water worries to a controversial walkway plan and a lawsuit over school debt, this week’s panel dug into the issues shaping Colorado’s summer — and its future.

Colorado’s Dry Summer Outlook and Water Issues: Despite recent heavy rainfall in May, Colorado is facing ongoing drought conditions, below-normal snowpack due to early melting, and concerns about future water supplies. This situation, coupled with predictions of a hot and dry summer, raises significant worries about wildfires and related problems.

Colorado’s Democratic Congressional Delegation has written to Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem, urging her to reconsider plans to cut funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ahead of wildfire season.

• Westword Editor Patty Calhoun: “We will have wildfires, and what we’re looking at is a federal government that is perhaps not prepared to step in and help in times of crisis, not just in Colorado but across the country. With the current upset at FEMA, we are not looking at a really good time ahead. All we can say is we do need the water.” Patty and all the panelists noted how this May has been exceptionally rainy.
• Advance Colorado Executive VP Kristi Burton Brown: “Does FEMA need to be reformed? Absolutely, 100%… but we need to be proactive about how we handle our forests. We should be clearing out our forests. We should be doing things to prevent wildfires.” Kristi pointed out how Douglas County has allocated $1.5 million to purchase a helicopter for firefighting support.
• Independence Institute Research Director David Kopel: “What we need to do in Colorado is get away from the longstanding policy of treating forests like museums… our forests are now so thick, and that’s the main reason why water flowing from the mountains into the Colorado River has been declining… because our over-vegetated forests are soaking up more and more of the water.”

Three CO Radio Stations Join NPR Lawsuit Over Federal Funding Cuts: It’s not clear why Colorado Public Radio (CPR), Aspen Public Radio, and KSUT Public Radio in the Four Corners Region joined NPR in suing the Trump administration’s order to cut federal funding. However, the joint public statement emphasizes that these stations represent the diversity of public radio across the country:

• CPR is a statewide station that offers podcasting.
• Aspen Public Radio airs an estimated 92 hours of NPR content weekly to a rural, Western Slope audience.
• KSUT Public Radio has both a public radio format of news and music programming as well as Southern Ute Tribal Radio, which airs Native American news and music. KSUT is one of only eight tribal radio stations in the country.

The lawsuit argues that the cuts violate free speech and Congress’ power to allocate federal funding.

• Colorado Politics columnist Eric Sondermann: “I have a hard time seeing this be a free speech issue necessarily. No one is denying free speech. It’s a question of who is paying for that speech.”
• Kristi Burton Brown: “At what point, if the government funds public radio, does the government start to control it? So, would anyone opposing this want, you know, President Trump, instead of saying, ‘I’m going to cut your funding,’ to say, ‘I’ll cut your funding unless you follow these guidelines, unless you report in this way…’ that’s the next step of what could happen.”
• Patty Calhoun acknowledged the financial peril facing all media organizations, with advertising spending down, and encouraged people to support the sources they rely on for news. “I do want to say one great thing about how smart Sesame Street was—that they worked out a deal with Netflix that will help them stay going. This is a time when media has to get smarter and smarter about its own future.”

The Uncovering of a Decades-Old Financing Tactic at Denver Public Schools (DPS): DPS is being sued by Mamás de DPS, a local parent advocacy group, over its use of Certificates of Participation (COPs) to take on hundreds of millions of dollars in long-term debt without voter approval. Under the state constitution, voter approval is required for government debt for public buildings.

DPS is defending its use of COPs and wants the case dismissed, as reported in a detailed article by the Denver Gazette: Denver Gazette article

• Eric Sondermann: “There is much that this district has to explain on this one… The district has created this subsidiary corporation that it has sold a lot of the school properties to, so if there was ever to be a default on debt, the district would no longer own a good number of its facilities… DPS has approximately as much debt through these certificates of participation as it does through voter-approved debt.”
• Kristi Burton Brown: “DPS has somewhat of a history of trying to get around state law… this has every look of a bond. Yes, corporations do this, but you’re a school district. You’re not a corporation. You are funded by taxpayers. And so your behavior should be different. A voter should be treated with the respect they deserve.”
• Patty Calhoun likens COPs to participation medals, suggesting DPS feels entitled to use them because others do. She notes the lack of public attention to this tactic previously.
• David Kopel investigated the Denver Schools Facilities Leasing Corporation and found it has been two years delinquent in registering with the Secretary of State’s Office.

Colorado 150 Pedestrian Walkway Project: Plans for a winding pedestrian walkway connecting the State Capitol over Denver’s Lincoln Street and into Veterans Park for Colorado’s 150th Anniversary are not being completely well-received by the public. The design includes a winding path meant to represent Colorado rivers, will incorporate regional materials, and feature work from Colorado artists. The estimated cost is around $20 million, with $1.5 million already spent on design plans. Historic Denver calls the bridge “completely unnecessary” and out of place in Denver’s historic Civic Center area. View the project here

• Patty Calhoun describes the design as “ridiculous looking,” unless it became a water slide: “Not only does Historic Denver have issues with this, regarding how it’s designed around a historic area… they’re going to run into a problem with the historic designation. The other thing is, if we want people to enjoy downtown, let’s let them walk downtown.”
• Kristi Burton Brown believes the negative reaction is partly because it’s in Denver, where people desire “more parking” rather than walking areas.
• Eric Sondermann said this area of downtown first needs beautification and cleanup, noting that in other states, capitol buildings are often the “gems of an area.”
  • Eric does credit Governor Jared Polis for trying to create something special in time for the state’s 150th birthday celebration in August 2026.

With the first week of June, lots awaits. Governor Polis has until next Friday to sign, veto, or ignore the remaining bills from the 2025 legislative session. Will he surpass his record of ten vetoes from 2023? We’ll see…