Transparency Archives

Lakewood Violates TABOR Promises to Voters

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on February 3, 2026Posted in Budget, Elections, TransparencyTagged broken promise, business tax, excess revenue, misinformation, refund, tabor

There is no dispute that the City of Lakewood must comply with a recent Colorado Supreme Court ruling requiring repayment of illegally collected Business and Occupation taxes. However, the way Lakewood is paying that refund has raised concerns that voters were misled about how their TABOR money would be used.

City staff and Council presented the TABOR Fund as the only option available. However, the TABOR Fund is a Lakewood-created accounting mechanism, not a requirement of state law or the court decision. Lakewood could have paid the refund from the General Fund. Instead, on January 26, 2026, City Council voted to take money from the TABOR Fund that had been explicitly promised to voter-approved purposes.

Dark money donations allowed in Lakewood

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on February 1, 2026Posted in Elections, TransparencyTagged campaign finance, Citizens United, corporations, dark money, donations, Metro Housing Coalition

New campaign finance rules for Lakewood define non-profits and corporations as people. The change allows large donations without individual disclosures. This is commonly referred to as dark money. The rule change follows 2010 changes at the federal level known as the Citizens United v FEC decision.

Shahrezaei and Councilor Bill Furman were beneficiaries of this change during the 2025 election. Each received $400 from the Metro Housing Coalition through the Metro Housing Coalition Political Action Committee.

Lakewood Withheld Financial Information While Spending on Controversial Projects

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on January 30, 2026Posted in Budget, Entrenched Bureaucracy, TransparencyTagged budget, Colorado, Colorado Supreme Court, discretionary spending, fiscal responsibility, Lakewood, Metro PCS, pet projects, tabor, taxes, transparency, unelected bureaucrats

On September 8, 2025, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled against Lakewood in an important court case against Metro PCS. As a result, Lakewood now owes around $42 million in tax refunds to Metro PCS and other cell phone carriers. That was big news, but what happened after the court decision is just as important.

Lakewood withheld the financial ramifications of the Metro PCS court decision during crucial budget planning. Although Lakewood didn’t know the total amount involved, the staff was aware that they would have to refund millions of dollars to the cell phone companies. Yet there was no public presentation of possible impacts during the crucial September and October budgeting months. Instead, Lakewood spent millions on controversial projects as soon as they could. Millions that could have gone toward the mandated refund.

Special Election Set for April 7

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on January 27, 2026Posted in Elections, TransparencyTagged densification, listening, referendum, Special election, special interests, transparency, trust, urbanization, zoning

Lakewood City Council unanimously decided to put the zoning code up for a vote on a special election on April 7, 2026. Both pro-zoning and anti-zoning advocates requested the special election. Both sides believe they have the support of the people.

The decision to put the zoning code on the ballot was not about the zoning code. The issue was whether City Council would listen to the people. City Council rushed to approve a new zoning code without a public discussion of the underlying densification decision. The actual changes were a different discussion than the broader Comprehensive Plan or “affordable housing” discussion. Once people started to understand zoning densification impacts, there was a rising number of complaints. City Council Members discounted these voices as a “small minority.”

Lakewood Still Dodging Hearing on Shelter Permit

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on January 21, 2026Posted in Homeless, TransparencyTagged 8000 W Colfax, DOLA, Homeless, navigation center, permit, referendum, shelter, special use permit

In another example of Lakewood manipulating the rules, there appears to be no intention to get a special use permit to operate the newly renovated Navigation Center.

Under 2025 zoning rules, a homeless shelter requires a special use permit. Such permit requires a public hearing. The Navigation Center “extreme weather” shelter bypassed this requirement through the “emergency” ordinance, even though there was plenty of time to anticipate winter.

Winter comes every year after all.

In the 2026 zoning ordinance, Lakewood removed the requirement for a special use permit.

Aguilar: City reckons with ruling, faces $42M fiscal hole

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on January 20, 2026Posted in Budget, Entrenched Bureaucracy, TransparencyTagged 42M, Aguilar, court ruling, denver post, MetroPCS, tabor

Repost from John Aguilar, Denver Post
Lakewood is about face a costly reckoning with the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights — to the tune of more than $42 million.

That’s the amount the state’s fifth-largest city has calculated it owes to dozens of cell phone carriers and telecommunications companies it wrongfully taxed for years. The bill is now coming due after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled last year that the city had violated TABOR, a state constitutional amendment, by levying a business and occupation tax without first obtaining voter approval.

2026 Resolution – Get Involved

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on January 20, 2026Posted in TransparencyTagged 2026, community engagement, get involved, resolution, transparency

“Many hands make light work” is true for holding government accountability. And it’s easier to get involved than you might think – there are a lot of new people getting involved in Lakewood politics now. In 2026, don’t pound your fists in frustration; do one little thing to contribute to the solution.

Make a friend – you would be surprised at how fast you can be plugged into a whole new community and will have friends to talk to about issues that matter

Navigation Center Emergency Deal Closes

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on January 14, 2026Posted in Homeless, TransparencyTagged emergency, Homeless, lease, navigation center, REcoveryWorks, shelter, volunteers of america

Lakewood passed another “emergency” ordinance, December 8, 2025, once again showing an inability – or purposeful unwillingness – to properly plan for the Navigation Center. The latest “emergency” was a lease that was months in the making. Lakewood used “emergency” and non-profit non-city meetings to skirt public input. The new lease and the property sale both rely on new zoning to keep the public in the dark and do spot zoning for favored projects. No one has addressed how the Center will be affected by the potential repeal of the new zoning nor has the declining neighborhood been addressed. During the January 8 meeting, a resident publicly complained about how the Navigation Center was negatively impacting his business.

Petitioners Win in Zoning Referendum Hearing

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on January 12, 2026Posted in Development, TransparencyTagged ballot, city clerk, decision, hearing, hearing officer, kolkmeier, protest, referendum, signature, verification, zoning

LLakewood has ruled AGAINST PROTESTS challenging zoning referendum petitions – meaning Lakewood ruled IN FAVOR OF THE REFERENDUM. The protesters said they represented the “rule of law” and stood for democracy. Then they argued against the democratic right to referendum. Lakewood and the petitioners cited Colorado Supreme Court case law to uphold the Constitutional right to referendum. Lakewood’s decision means the petitions are sufficient, and City Council must now respond. The first reading of a repeal ordinance is scheduled for 12 January, 2026 Council meeting.

Legal Support and Views of a Petitioner

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on December 18, 2025Posted in Development, TransparencyTagged legal defense, referendum, Regina Hopkins, Taheri, Travis Parker, zoning

Defending the referendum requires legal counsel. Regular residents cannot navigate full legal proceedings alone. Although there can be no issue committee at this time, and therefore no campaign donations, an attorney is stepping forward to assist.

If you wish to support the effort, donations can be sent directly to:

Transparency

Lakewood Violates TABOR Promises to Voters

Dark money donations allowed in Lakewood

Lakewood Withheld Financial Information While Spending on Controversial Projects

Special Election Set for April 7

Lakewood Still Dodging Hearing on Shelter Permit

Aguilar: City reckons with ruling, faces $42M fiscal hole

2026 Resolution – Get Involved

Navigation Center Emergency Deal Closes

Petitioners Win in Zoning Referendum Hearing

Legal Support and Views of a Petitioner

Lakewood Informer

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