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Tax would assist developmentally disabled

Measure to fund services targets long waiting lists

By April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 28, 2008 at 10:18 p.m.

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State Rep. John Soper fears that if he became gravely ill or died, his disabled brother wouldn't have anywhere to turn for care.

The Thornton Democrat is the primary caretaker of his brother, who has been on a waiting list for state services for developmentally disabled adults for 25 years.

"My mother slipped on a flight of stairs when she was pregnant and my brother was born 31/2 months premature," he said. "He suffers from mental disabilities. He's been waiting on the list for a long time."

So are thousands of other disabled people, including an estimated 9,000 adults and children living with parents and caretakers over age 60.

Soper took over the care of his 66-year-old brother after their parents died.

"Right now, I'm able to take care of him but if something happens to me, I want to know he's going to be taken care of."

Soper is among those pushing a Nov. 4 ballot initiative, Amendment 51, that would increase the state sales tax by 2 cents on every $10 to fund services for adults and children with developmental disabilities.

The measure would raise an estimated $186 million by 2010, doubling annual state funding to $370 million for services such as around-the-clock supervision, residential homes, nursing services and basic job training.

"This would give us a permanent funding source so every year the legislature doesn't have to find a Band-Aid and scratch and claw for funding," Soper said.

Jon Caldara, head of the Independence Institute, a free-market think tank based in Golden, argued that given the sluggish economy, now is not the time to raise sales taxes.

Caldara also contends state lawmakers could come up with an additional $180 million by trimming waste elsewhere.

"I agree with the goal of delivering more services to disabled people in Colorado," he said. "The difference is, we don't need to raise taxes. What you need is politicians to make that a priority."

More than 12,000 children and adults who have developmental disabilities, such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or mental retardation, are on the state waiting lists for either immediate care or lifelong services, said Marijo Rymer of The Arc of Colorado and chairwoman of the Coalition to End the Developmental Disability Wait List.

Supporters argue that a permanent and reliable source of funding is needed so thousands in need do not continue to be left out because of budget cutbacks.

The proposed sales tax would be phased in over two years.

The additional funding is expected to be adequate to eliminate the state backlog, Rymer said.

"Our tax dollars should take care of people who, by no fault of their own, can't take care of themselves," she said. "This is a tax that matters."

Amendment 51 is the byproduct of a special Colorado General Assembly committee that in 2007 examined the waiting list for state-funded services.

At the time, families caring for disabled adults and children complained about the confusing network of 20 regional boards that determined who received roughly $350 million in annual federal, state and local funding.

While the measure is aimed at eliminating the waiting lists, it's unclear if the additional money would rid the system of the red tape and other issues that confound family members.

Rymer said the additional money would go a long way in building up the network of assisted-living homes and services as more and more people come off the waiting lists.

"It will take time to double the system to handle all the needs," said Rymer. "But as we're able to build the infrastructure and build new homes, you'll be able to see the end of your nose - where now you can't."

What Amendment 51 would do

Increase the state sales tax by 2 cents on every $10 to fund services for those with developmental disabilities. The increase would be phased in over two years, raising the state sales tax from 2.9 percent to 3.1 percent by 2010.

* Who is for it: The Coalition to End the Developmental Disability Wait List

* The money behind it: $534,359 raised through Sept. 15; more than half comes from The Arc of Jefferson County and The Arc of Colorado.

* Who is against it: There is no organized opposition. But state Rep. Douglas Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, and Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute, a free-market think tank based in Golden, both anti-tax crusaders, oppose the measure.

Comments

  • September 29, 2008

    10:51 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    deb writes:

    It's unfortunate that John Caldera and Douglas Bruce don't "get it" that through the legislative process, there is no funding to be found in the general fund "because" of Tabor. We've tried that route. Never mind that "people" with developmental disabilities have waited over sixteen years as this waitlist has grown out of control. We can not wait another year, two years, 5 years, 20 years for Douglas Bruce to find the funding or Jon Caldera's think tank, to "forget" about it. After all, Douglas Bruce through his Tabor Amendment made it impossible to access funding above the 6% spending limit that requires taking requests for funding to the voters, and this is how this amendment came to be. These two crusaders would have the voters believe that if they vote no on the amendment it would be solved, but I'm here to tell you that's not going to happen. This is a problem 16 years in the making "AND" it's not going away without Amendment 51.
    12,000+ people with developmental disabilities are not "special interests" but real people with real needs. They are not a commodity, but human beings.
    I didn't want to write a negative post on this article because helping people with developmental disabilities is anything but negative. I had to point out the impetus behind the comments of Jon Caldera and the usual story behind Douglas Bruce's anti-tax "crusades" comments show they obviously do not understand human needs of vulnerable populations for which they speak against.

    Please vote yes on 51 because it's the right thing to do.

  • September 29, 2008

    12:21 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    specialneedsmom writes:

    It is very difficult to respond to the mentality that we need to cut other vital programs in Colorado to fund our most vulnerable citizens' needs. And that is the choice to be made. For anyone who believes the state has lots of extra money they could redirect to serve the people, you will learn quickly that the amount of unrestricted cash the state has is next to zero because of Tabor. So at this point I would challenge those who keep saying this money exists to find that money in the state budget, cut it from that place you think is a waste, and spend it on life and death programs that still need that funding. Since nobody has done that, but they do a lot of criticizing when a grass-roots effort like the Yes on 51 campaign comes up with a very small price to pay to solve a huge problem, then they don't have the right to say anything now. Where were Jon Caldera and Doug Bruce when this issue was debated in a whole summer of testimony in the legislature? It's too late now. You had a chance to find that money that is desperately needed.

    Voters - this work has been done by people who know for a fact the money does not exist in the state budget after turning over every stone. Vote yes on 51 not only because it is the right thing to do, but because that work has been done already before even asking for the funding this way.

  • September 29, 2008

    5:25 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    KellyStahlman writes:

    The silence on A 51 is deafening!

    Shy of a tax increase, many are choosing to stand on the sidelines in a "wait and see" attitude, in the middle of a
    Colorado Crisis!

    The best quote I have heard to describe the "state of our state" was during JBC testimony in 2006. Todd Lowther, Executive Director of The Arc of Jeffco said, "The DD wait list is Colorado's own Hurricane Katrina. The levies are broken, the storm is here, and the devastation will be catastrophic."

    As a third generation native Coloradoan, born and raised on Ft. Collins and a lifelong Republican, it is simply difficult to believe that this situation is really that dire. After all, there MUST be someone out there to help. There MUST be an agency that helps those people. This would never happen in OUR state.

    As a mother of twins with cerebral palsy, born at under 2 and 3 pounds, I can verify that the facts are true. Real children and adults are going without vital services needed to get through every single day. We have names, addresses and phone numbers of these 12,000 individuals and their families.
    In Colorado, we have MORE WAITING than we are actually serving. So as Coloradoans, we need to ask ourselves, it this really what we want?

    Three key trends explain how we got into this "pickle".

    First, life-saving medical technology. Emergency services save lives. Technology such as feeding tubes and portable oxygen allow people to live longer in their communities.

    Second, individuals with developmental disabilities are living typical life-expectancies for the first time in history.

    Third, the Aging of America is hitting hard. Adult children are now in their middle ages, and their parents are dying out, leaving adult children without any safety net.

    These are real people who need real solutions, TODAY.
    There is NO GOVERNMENT SAFETY NET, it's an urban myth.
    2/10ths of 1% sales tax increase is a small price to pay.

    Indeed, the price will be far too great if we wait.
    VOTE YES on Amendment 51 - it's simply the right thing to do.

    Kelly Bowling Stahlman
    Littleton, CO