Greeley and other northern Colorado communities are growing rapidly, and it’s easy to see why.
Greeley is not only a well-governed town and a vibrant college town, it is also a center of Colorado’s rich agricultural tradition, energy production, a booming job market and a spectacular place to raise a family.
We’re taking real action and delivering what matters most to Greeley and all communities in northern Colorado. I am focused on protecting the Colorado way of life, reducing the cost of living in our state and creating opportunities for our children, families and seniors.
And we do the work.
Helping Colorado kids thrive and saving Weld County families nearly $10,000 with free daycare and free preschool starting next fall. I was also proud to increase funding per student in public schools by 18%, a historic investment to increase teachers’ salaries and decrease class sizes.
We deliver real cost reductions and work hard to make Colorado more affordable. We’ve lowered the cost of prescription drugs like insulin, eliminated state taxes on Social Security income, and boosted entrepreneurship and job growth—it only cost $1 to start a new business in Colorado and reduced small business taxes.
Just this summer, we paid out $750 in tax refunds nine months early, and for 2023 and 2024 all homeowners’ property tax rates will be reduced, saving Coloradans $1.1 billion.
Together, even in the toughest of times, we’ve proven that we can keep moving forward by focusing on doing what’s right for Colorado. But make no mistake – there is hard work ahead of you.
Coloradans are under serious pressure from rising costs. For many people across the state, this pressure is felt most severely in the housing market. We support locally-focused, innovative affordable housing solutions, empowering cities, counties and other local partners with the tools they need to build and maintain affordable housing in ways that make sense for their community.
This is particularly important for communities like Greeley, where the supply of affordable housing has not kept pace with demand and prices are rising rapidly.
This work leads to tangible results. Last year, Greeley City Council updated the city’s zoning ordinance to encourage density and create more opportunities for affordable housing construction.
Nonprofit partners like Greeley-Weld Habitat for Humanity are already using this to build 500 affordable homes with access to public transportation.
This year, the state wanted to build on those advances and give cities and counties more incentives to reduce housing costs. Over the next four years, I will continue to work with cities and counties to reduce costly urban sprawl and make it easier for people to live close to work.
Colorado’s wildfire season is getting longer and more dangerous. We spearhead the most comprehensive wildfire containment effort in Colorado history. With a new nationwide operations center, major upgrades to our airfighting fleet, and investments of millions in local fire departments, we’re better prepared than ever to fight active forest fires.
We also work to make Colorado one of the safest states by helping local police and sheriff departments hire, train and retain law enforcement officers while preventing crime by strengthening mental health and substance abuse programs.
If I’m lucky enough to get your vote, I’ll continue to aggressively lower the cost of Coloradans. I will continue to protect our future from the threats of wildfires and climate change, and I will fight for our clean air, water future and public lands. I will ensure that every child in Colorado has access to a quality education. I will make Colorado one of the safest states in America. I will ensure that you have the freedom and opportunity to pursue your dreams and live the life you want to live.
This is our Colorado and I will never lose sight of how lucky we are to live here and I will never stop fighting for a better future. I make this commitment not only as your governor, but as a Colorado father of two who are proud to call Colorado home.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your governor. Together we will ensure Colorado’s best days are yet to come.
— Governor Jared Polis founded several companies including Proflowers.com and created hundreds of jobs, served on the Colorado Board of Education and the US House of Representatives (CD-2) before becoming Colorado’s 43rd governor.
