By State Senator Larry Liston
There is a lot of talk this legislative session at the State Capitol about making Colorado a more affordable place to live, work, and raise a family. I am committed to advancing solutions this session to address the rising cost of living in our state, especially when it comes to affordable housing. I have introduced measures to stop local governments from limiting the construction of homes, recruit more students into the understaffed building trades, and make the senior and disabled veterans property tax exemption more generous.
This last bill is especially important to me because of the increasing property tax burden that has fallen on seniors and disabled veterans.
Consider the fact that in 1960 the median home price in the U.S. was about $178,000, expressed in today’s dollars, while the median home price in 2021 was $374,900. In Colorado, we have seen an explosion in home prices that far exceeds the national average due to our state’s strong economy and the large number of people that have relocated here in recent years.
Read the full op-ed on the Colorado Springs Gazette website.