COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. Former Colorado Springs City Council member John Hazlehurst and El Paso County Commissioner Doug Bruce will debate Colorado Referendum C beginning at 11 a.m. Oct. 18 at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
Hazlehurst will argue for passage of the referendum while Bruce will argue against it in a moderated and timed format. At the conclusion of the remarks, audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions.
The event, organized by the Campus Activities Board, will be in the Lodge on the west side of the UCCS campus. The event is free and open to UCCS faculty, staff, students and community members. Seating is limited to 200. Event parking will be on level 3 of the university’s parking garage. Rates are $1.50 per hour.
“We wanted to offer the campus and broader community the opportunity to hear both sides of this important issue,” Matthew Green, Colorado Springs graduate student and event organizer, said. “I look forward to a good discussion that allows people to make an informed decision.”
Snacks will be provided at no charge to those who attend.
According to the official ballot, Coloradans will be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on the following question:
Referendum C: Without raising taxes and in order to pay for education, health care, roads, bridges and other strategic transportation projects, and retirement plans for firefighters and police officers, shall the state be authorized to retain and spend all state revenues in excess of the constitutional limitation on state fiscal year spending for the next five fiscal years beginning with the 2005-06 fiscal year, and to retain and spend an amount of state revenues in excess of such limitation for the 2010-11 fiscal year and for each succeeding fiscal year up to the excess state revenues cap, as defined by the measure?
UCCS, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the fastest growing university in Colorado and one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The university offers 25 bachelor’s degrees, 17 master’s and two doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls about 7,800 students.