17-05-2025
Governor Polis pushes for housing law compliance
(DENVER) — Colorado Governor Jared Polis is putting his foot down to try and improve the housing crisis across the state.
Polis signed an executive order on Friday, May 16 to prioritize state funding for counties and cities that comply with seven laws related to housing, which have been signed into law within the last two legislative sessions.
'The legislature voted, we signed them,' Polis said. 'Others are a little slower, so we, through the Department of Local Affairs, we really want to have a toolbox and help local governments achieve compliance.'
Some of the bills Polis is focusing on include HB24-1007, which eliminated residential occupancy limits. Others Polis mentioned include HB24-1152, which gives homeowners the ability to add a second small dwelling next to their property or attached to a single-family house. Five of the bills went into effect last year while two were signed by Polis this year.
'It's about getting it [the housing crisis] solved, whether it's the federal government helping with housing, whether it's the state, whether it's your city,' Polis said.
FOX21 News reached out to local leaders in southern Colorado for comment on the issue and received several statements.
The spokesperson for the Pueblo Mayor's Office told FOX21 News in a brief statement that the city will be 'compliant' with the laws mentioned.
However, Pueblo County Commissioners Paula McPheeters and Zach Swearingen took a much different tone and seemed to disagree with the move.
In her statement to FOX21 News, McPheeters said: 'Withholding grants derived from taxpayer dollars is one way to compel compliance. Pueblo County is not Denver or Boulder County.'
Swearingen continued the trend in his statement, saying, 'To restrict funding to communities that may need the most help is not the way to help this situation.'
FOX21 News also reached out to Mayor Yemi Mobolade's office, along with the spokesperson for both the Colorado Springs City Council and the El Paso County Commissioners, who were not able to provide comments by our deadline.
Polis's executive order states Oct. 6 is the date that these laws will become a requirement in order to apply for state grant assistance. Current projects being funded will not see any impacts until then.
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