Gov. John Hickenlooper gave his final state of the state address Thursday and asThe Denver Post reports, Hickenlooper spoke at length about the challenges facing rural Colorado.
Hickenlooper pointed out that rural communities face a number of issues, including teacher shortages, jobs and access to rural broadband.
He also told lawmakers that the Gallagher Amendment, which will trigger further reductions in property tax rates next year, relief to property owners, but putting the financial squeeze on rural governments and school districts.
On Thursday, Hickenlooper called for lawmakers to “protect our rural communities” by addressing the “intense, negative impact” of Gallagher — but stopped short of endorsing a specific proposal on what is a thorny political issue that will likely require a constitutional change.