Special to the HT
RBC | Democracy isn’t meant to happen in comment sections. At a time of deep political division and toxic online discourse, there is no substitute for meeting face-to-face to discuss our ideas, challenges, and disagreements. While too many elected officials avoid in-person town halls, I continue to believe they are one of the most important responsibilities I have as your state senator.
A few days ago, I completed my annual post-session town hall meeting tour of Senate District 8, visiting all 10 counties alongside fellow members of the Colorado General Assembly who represent these communities to talk about what happened at the 2026 legislative session. We welcomed strong crowds in Rio Blanco, Routt, Summit, Clear Creek, Eagle, Moffat, Gilpin, Jackson, Grand, and Garfield counties. We shared updates on this year’s legislative work and then turned the floor over to constituents for honest, wide-ranging conversations about the issues that matter most.
In Frisco, Granby, and Walden, Speaker Julie McCluskie and I heard from many of you about safety on our mountain roads. After Grand County suffered its deadliest year on record for roadway fatalities in 2025, including horrific head-on collisions caused by illegal passing, I sponsored SB26-035, which increases the penalties for passing across a double yellow line, creates escalating consequences for repeat and extreme speeding, and directs CDOT to add signage in high-crash corridors.
The Speaker and I also presented our Wildlife Collision Prevention Act, SB26-141, which creates a new Collision Prevention Fund through an optional $5 fee that drivers can choose to add during vehicle registration. Wildlife crossings are proven to reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions by more than 90 percent, and these collisions cost Coloradans an estimated $321 million a year, more than any other western state. This fund will build the crossings, fencing, and habitat connections that protect both people and wildlife on our highways.
In Meeker, Rangely, Steamboat Springs, and Craig, Rep. Meghan Lukens and I talked about funding for our schools. Even while closing a major budget shortfall, we passed this year’s School Finance Act, SB26-023, which increases statewide per-pupil funding and ensures that no school district in Colorado receives less funding than it did last year. We also heard about the challenges facing our Northwest Colorado communities as energy and energy transitions necessitate economic transitions and the work we’ve done at the Capitol to bring promising opportunities to these towns.
In Glenwood Springs, Rep. Elizabeth Velasco and I heard from residents about wildfire threats, affordable housing concerns, and transportation funding for our rural and mountain highways.
In Idaho Springs and Central City, Rep. Lesley Smith and I discussed several upcoming ballot measures and the growing concern about e-bike safety for young riders. As e-bikes surge in popularity with kids and teens, serious injuries among adolescent riders are rising across the country. We also talked about ways to support our county and local governments as they deliver crucial local services.
At nearly every stop, I heard about the drought and what it means for agriculture and wildfires. This has been one of the driest years in recorded history, with snowpack falling to a fraction of the historical median, and our farmers, ranchers, and water users are feeling it firsthand. As chair of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, protecting Colorado’s water remains one of my highest priorities. This year, we passed the annual Water Projects Bill, HB26-1338, which invests $37.7 million in water conservation, storage, agricultural efficiency, and watershed health projects across the state. I also continue to insist that any future Colorado River conservation program be developed openly, with the legislature and Western Slope communities at the table, not decided unilaterally from Denver.
We also talked candidly about the state budget. As legislators, we have a constitutional obligation to pass a balanced budget, and this year that meant working through a shortfall of roughly $1.5 billion, driven by rising health care costs, state constitutional fiscal controls, previous years’ budget decisions and the impacts of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”. It wasn’t easy but we balanced our budget and made responsible choices and I fought to make sure rural Colorado did not bear a disproportionate share of the cuts.
Thank you to the hundreds who attended a town hall meeting; I genuinely appreciate your interest, questions, criticisms, and hopes for the future. I welcome continued feedback as the year goes on: [email protected] or 970-846-3054.
By DYLAN ROBERTS
Dylan Roberts is the State Senator for Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt and Summit Counties