Event sponsored by League of Women Voters of the Uncompahgre Valley, serving Delta, Montrose and Ouray counties. Christopher Stiffler, economist with the Colorado Fiscal Institute will make a presentation on Colorado budget policy and explain Initiative 195.

Colorado entered the 2026 legislative session facing a budget shortfall approaching $1.5 billion, made worse by federal tax changes that unexpectedly reduced state revenues. In this accessible talk, Stiffler starts with an easy to understand background about the Colorado budget, the major cuts lawmakers made this session, and how federal changes to Medicaid, SNAP, and corporate taxes are affecting the state. The talk then explores Initiative 195, the proposed graduated income tax measure expected on Colorado’s November ballot, and what it could mean for school funding, health care, and the future of Colorado’s budget.

Christopher Stiffler is an economics professor, author, comedian, and senior economist at the Colorado Fiscal Institute in Denver. A graduate of the University of Richmond and the University of Denver, he is also a thru-hiker of the Colorado Trail, a former Latin teacher, burro racer, and host of the Non-Standard 14er and Funny Muscle podcasts, blending economics, storytelling, humor, and the outdoors in his writing and public speaking.

His published works include the children’s books “An Igloo Half-Made” and “A Burro Named Bedford,” the economics humor book “Economics In-Other-Words,” and the trail memoir “Trail Headspace: Finding My Best Self on the Colorado Trail.” His work and commentary have appeared on NPR, Colorado Public Radio, and in publications across Colorado.

For more information go to www.lwv-uv.org.