Author: Pam Zubeck
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Where your money goes: City vs. county government
The city of Colorado Springs and El Paso County are separate governments with separate work forces, governing boards and revenue sources. The city and county are supported by separate property taxes, sales taxes, vehicle ownership taxes, state and federal grants and fees. CITY Policymakers The city is overseen by an elected nine-member policymaking City Council,…
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Recession not only reason for downturn
Signs of good times were everywhere. Thousands of homes popped up east and northeast of Colorado Springs while businesses flocked to Powers Boulevard. Growth was seen by some residents as a double-edged sword as the city and El Paso County wrestled with zoning issues, drainage problems and a crowded jail. The county’s assessed value nearly…
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VIDEO: City, county are hard up for cash
Colorado Springs and El Paso County are broke, beset by plummeting revenues and spending restrictions that handcuff their ability to fix roads, crack down on criminals and keep buses running. It’s a familiar refrain from local officials, but it wasn’t persuasive enough to sell voters on agreeing to pay an additional 1 percent county sales…
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As housing market suffers, property values still on rise
For 6 of 10 El Paso County homeowners, there’s no silver lining to the bursting of the real estate bubble. The latest countywide reappraisal by the El Paso County assessor shows 59 percent of the county’s 115,000 residential properties increased in value during the reappraisal period – Jan. 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008. Those…
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Peyton woman will reign as county fair queen
A Peyton woman whose interests exemplify the area’s agricultural past and is planning a future in broadcast journalism will reign over the fairgrounds in Calhan this summer as queen of the 2009 El Paso County Fair. Dayna Jenkins, 21, was chosen from a field of five hopefuls last weekend at a contest at the fairgrounds…
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Sentencing today for ex-Carson soldier convicted of murder
Former Fort Carson soldier Louis Bressler is expected to be sentenced today to 5o to 60 years for three crimes, including murder.Bressler, 25, will be sentenced in the August 2007 death of Pfc. Robert James, 24, an Iraq war veteran whose bullet-riddled body was found in a bank parking lot on Lake Avenue.Bressler also was…
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Iraq vet sentenced to 60 years in killing
Former Fort Carson soldier Louis Bressler was sentenced to 60 years in prison Monday for his role in two killings and a stabbing after his return from serving in Iraq. The sentencing closes the book on a crime spree by three former soldiers, although none of them was convicted of being the shooter. “It’s not…
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Two sentenced after agreeing to testify in suspected drug ripoff
Linda Sommervold remembers her son, Josh, as a cheerful and active young man who called her every day to say, “hi, Mama.” On Monday, she spoke at the sentencing hearing of two men accused in his death, who agreed to plead guilty to aggravated robbery in exchange for their testimony against a third assailant believed…
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Military probes how secret briefing wound up on Web
The military is investigating how a secret briefing about national security got posted on the Web, including information about 93 tunnels found along the nation’s borders and a warning that Canada could become a terrorist gateway.The investigation to find who’s responsible for posting the unclassified, but “official use only” and “law enforcement sensitive” briefing was…
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2008 tax revenues just miss estimates
El Paso County’s sales- and use-tax revenue fell slightly last year, dipping only $252,000 below 2007’s total, a Treasurer’s Office report released Thursday shows, putting off the need for more cuts or layoffs. It’s in stark contrast to Colorado Springs’ sales tax collections, which have been in free fall for months. City sales tax receipts…