All Entries in the "Consumer Issues" Category
Governor Polis Statement on Federal Approval of Colorado’s SNAP Waiver to Support Healthy Eating
DENVER – On May 13, 2025, Colorado submitted waiver requests to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designed to increase healthier food consumption and maximize the buying power of benefits as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Today, a portion of Colorado’s SNAP waiver was approved, exempting soda and sugary beverages from benefits. Colorado […]
City of Lamar Utility Report 2025 – month of June
City of Lamar Utility Report 2025 – Month of June Monthly June 2025 June 2024 % Electricity $1,219,107.12 $1,276,774.84 -4.52% Water $218,332.71 $225,551.20 -3.20% Sewer $61,979.62 $50,621.45 22.44% Trash $154,145.46 $148,534.37 3.78% Monthly Total $1,653,564.91 $1,701,481.86 -2.82% Utility Report Year to Date YTD 2025 YTD 2024 % Electricity $6,287,513.03 $6,319,241.32 -0.50% Water $916,952.51 […]
USDA Releases Annual SNAP Payment Error Rates for FY 2024
On June 27, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) released the annual Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) state payment error rates, a measure of how accurately states determine who is eligible and subsequent benefit allotments. The national payment error rate for fiscal year (FY) 2024 is 10.93%. While not a […]
McClave State Bank opens new Lamar branch
A ribbon cutting was held on June 6 for the new McClave State Bank branch in Lamar. Established in 1921, McClave State Bank has served the McClave community for over 100 years and is proud to be an independent, locally-owned bank who takes pride in their friendly, personal service as well as the ability to […]
Colorado Employment Situation – May 2025 – Unemployment rate unchanged
Nonfarm Payroll Jobs Increase by 3,400 in May; Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 4.8 Percent Household survey data According to the survey of households, the number of unemployed individuals decreased by 100 to 158,700 from April to May. Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged over the same time period at 4.8 percent. The national unemployment rate remained unchanged at […]
City of Lamar Sales and Use Tax Report
April Sales and Use Tax Collected in May 2025 2025 2024 Difference from 2024 to 2025 % of Difference City Sales Tax Collected (3%) $400,437.66 $365,478.72 $34,958.94 9.57% Use Tax Collected $41,919.26 $37,407.63 $4,511.63 12.06% Other Collections (penalties/interest/Licenses etc $3,966.74 $1,471.21 $2,525.53 171.66% TOTAL SALES/USE TAX COLLECTIONS $446,353.66 $404,357.56 $41,996.10 10.39% Vendor’s Commission […]
City’s Sales and Use Tax Report presented to City Council at May 12 meeting
The city’s Sales and Use tax report was presented to Lamar City Council at the May 12, 2025 meeting. The report was for March taxes collected in April. While March was down 3.10% from last year in the amount of $15,425.07, year to date numbers rose higher. Total taxes collected so far in 2025 are […]
Colorado Employment Situation — April 2025
8,400 Nonfarm Payroll Jobs Added in April; Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 4.8% Household survey data According to the survey of households, the number of unemployed individuals increased by 2,100 to 158,700 from March to April. Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged over the same time period at 4.8 percent. The national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.2 percent […]
American Dairy Coalition opposes new FDA Healthy Labeling Rule
American Dairy Coalition, an organization of advocacy by dairy farmers for dairy farmers, has filed an official comment at the Federal Register on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Healthy Labeling Rule and proposed Front-of-Package rating label for saturated fat, sodium and added sugar. The FDA recently extended the public comment period to July 15, 2025. The […]
City Sales and Use Tax March 2025 – increase of 5.62% over 2024’s March report
February Sales and Use Tax Collected in March 2025 2025 2024 Difference 2024 to 2025 % of Difference City Sales Tax Collected (3%) $358,690.09 $323,839.56 $34,850.53 10.76% Use Tax Collected $29,081.76 $43,440.70 -$14,358.94 -33.05% Other Collections (penalties, interest,licences, A/Rs) $1,677.77 $1,456.97 $220.80 15.15% TOTAL SALES/USE TAX COLLECTIONS $389,449.62 $368,737.23 $20,712.39 5.62% Vendor’s Commission […]
3,900 Nonfarm Payroll Jobs Added in January; Unemployment Rate Rises to 4.7 Percent
Household survey data According to the survey of households, Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point in January to 4.7 percent compared to the revised December rate of 4.6 percent. The number of unemployed individuals grew by 2,600 over the same time period to 152,800. The national unemployment rate decreased one-tenth of a percentage […]
Colorado Department of Revenue Announces Income Tax Processing Is Now Open, Shares Tax Benefits Information Hub to Help Coloradans Save Money
DENVER, February 21, 2025 — The Colorado Department of Revenue today announced that the state has started processing income tax returns from third-party services and shared a new, online tax benefits hub to help taxpayers save potentially thousands of dollars. Found at Tax.Colorado.gov/SaveMoney, the new online resource offers tax benefits information in an easy-to-understand format and […]
Colorado unemployment rises to 4.4%, but state of job market murky due to data issues
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics won’t release job numbers for Colorado in March as dramatic revisions have sparked concerns over state data accuracy. Colorado’s unemployment rate rose to 4.4% in December, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, up from 4.3% the month before. The state’s unemployment rate is more than a […]
ARPA Board adopts 2025 budget at December 2024 meeting
ARPA Board Adopts 2025 Budget: At its December 5, 2024, meeting the ARPA Board of Directors approved its operating budget for 2025 in the amount of $22,797,964. There will be an 8% rate reduction for 2025. This follows on the heels of two previous rate decreases, 3.57% in 2021, and 2% in 2019. The 2025 budget includes: Revenues of […]
Colorado’s new paid family leave program helps more than 135,000 hardworking Coloradans in its first year
Colorado’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Division helped successfully provide and process more than 135,000 paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) claims in its first year of full operation. The FAMLI Division, part of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, announced Friday that the voter approved program distributed roughly $687 million in 2024 […]
