Hickenlooper: Budget tangle means complex times ahead - Nick Coltrain, Coloradoan

When Gov. John Hickenlooper painted a picture of the state budget on Friday afternoon, he left the rosy colors at home. Speaking at Colorado State University for a town hall and joined by cabinet members, Hickenlooper noted softening economic conditions due to the fall in oil prices, but mostly highlighted the oft-derided conflicts in the state constitution. In this case, it's a fight to increase K-12 spending, while Medicaid and health care costs rise. Complicating matters are constitutional mandates that taxpayers get some money back. "We've got to do spending increases, and this is in the constitution, while we give taxpayer refunds," Hickenlooper, a Democrat, told the crowd. http://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2016/10/21/hickenlooper-budget-tangle-means-complex-times-ahead/92531712/