[{"_1":2,"_76":-5,"_77":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6347163,"mediaKeyId","2245956-0e02cf7de4c49b5166e4c257d9c162f4","parentId",2245956,"title","Joint Finance Committee hears short overview of governor’s budget; members press on license-plate funds, deferred property tax costs and broader deficit","audioSeconds",1484,"startMs",95000,"endMs",1579000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2245956-0e02cf7de4c49b5166e4c257d9c162f4&start=95&end=1579","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2245956-0e02cf7de4c49b5166e4c257d9c162f4/thumbnail_95000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6347163/Colorado/Joint-Finance-Committee-hears-short-overview-of-governors-budget-members-press-on-license-plate-funds-deferred-property-tax-costs-and-broader-deficit","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6347163-df037c430c0139896c96919930b81593/orig.mp4?Expires=1771144351&Signature=Emb~pjbBKwck1qesa7xPxcHv0SGAD6K321Ky9opMFynlSr2dVvS1tobHWfHeOhdGrqrG6XGQH1DluYw2e65N9xGEkA~-SUyxBvWPVCPshbVrHQyeg39xZjvQ1ybLXajdoSQGr9kq9ZbWfZGNF0OFYUwAC5oOPF8B-6fEoA308BE77FU7Bx3KpMksH4EJ0TJH8admq5wgXibJwbAZ4q0bGXwLQR3VCheygrHutb2PwZKF3wE4886fQ-bLpvkg18QOopR4dSwowaNNLOg61RQdDXmamTiGjpP2LOL6-qU1acsqNTWS0XCjd~FonVtEsL13Pfl8~w4Jiux2L~mIUaginQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Finance Committee","date","2025-01-30T00:00:00Z","article","Representative Berg, presenting to the Joint Finance Committee on behalf of Joint Budget Committee staff, gave a brief overview of the governor’s budget request and highlighted a handful of small, department-level requests on Oct. 12, 2025. \"This is not anything that the joint budget committee has voted on. We're not here to advocate for any of this,\" Berg said, adding the presentation was intended only as an informational overview.

The overview covered three agencies within the JBC’s oversight: the Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB), the Department of Revenue and the Department of the Treasury. Berg said OSPB had a single, small request to continue staff who handle emergency-relief reporting. For the Department of Revenue, she flagged three items: funding to implement a direct tax-filing option, a lottery-optimization request paid from an existing cash fund, and a request to restructure the license-plate payment program to reclassify accumulated cash funds as an enterprise rather than a cash fund.

On the license-plate issue, Berg said the state currently collects about $30 million a year in fees related to specialty and other license plates and that the administration is considering treating those collections more like an enterprise to avoid displacing general fund under TABOR-related refund triggers. Representative Garcia asked whether any plates cost the state more to produce than they bring in and whether up-front design or production costs are fully recovered. Berg replied she did not have plate-level accounting and referred Garcia to the Department of Revenue for production-cost detail.

Members also pressed Treasury items. Berg noted requests to add staff for unclaimed-property work and to cover an increased contract cost for the deferred property-tax-payment system (listed in the budget book as R6). Representative Zukay and others requested more information from the treasurer’s office on the administrative costs of the deferred-payment program versus the revenue it produces.

Committee members discussed the fiscal backdrop at length. Senator Kirk Meyer stressed the size and limits of the relevant budget base, saying, \"If you look in your budget book there, you'll see... our general fund is approximately $16 to $17 billion.\" Members described a structural shortfall and debated short-term fixes. Representative Taggart and others cautioned that the governor’s balanced budget proposal relies in part on tapping reserves and one-time cash sweeps, steps they said do not solve the structural deficit. Representative Burton and others said the JBC is continuing to seek additional cuts and stressed the legislature’s role in reviewing and deciding on the governor’s proposals.

There were also exchanges on tax credits. Representative Stewart and others asked about the committee’s posture on new tax credits given recent large credit expansions; committee leaders said the committee is likely to be cautious and that tax-credit policy and appropriation cuts are treated as distinct priorities. Senator Bridges reminded the group that interest or earnings that remain in the unclaimed-property fund do not count against TABOR until spent, but once spent they do reduce available TABOR capacity: \"Any money that is spent there pushes out other money,\" she said.

No formal votes or committee decisions were recorded during the session. Committee members asked departments for follow-up information — including plate production costs and contract details for the deferred property-tax system — and encouraged colleagues to submit ideas for ongoing and one-time cuts. The meeting concluded with the committee adjourned.

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Joint Finance Committee hears short overview of governor’s budget; members press on license-plate funds, deferred property tax costs and broader deficit