Phil Castle, The Business Times

Mesa County set an example in keeping businesses open during the COVID-19 pandemic and developing the workforce through apprenticeships and efforts to train more health care workers, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a version of his state of the state address he delivered in Grand Junction.

“Mesa County led the way in so many ways,” Polis said.

The governor also detailed the ways he expects the state government to help businesses and families save money even as more funding is invested in public schools, infrastructure and safety. He signed an executive order calling for a plan to connect nearly all Colorado households to high-speed internet access over the next four years. 

In addition to speaking at the event hosted by the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, Polis participated in a workshop to discuss the design of a proposed mobility hub in Grand Junction connecting several modes of transportation.

The trip to Grand Junction also was part of the kickoff to the Polis campaign for re-election.

In his state of the state address, Polis praised the 5 Star Program developed by the Grand Junction chamber and Mesa County Public Health in response to the pandemic. The program enabled businesses that demonstrated they implemented safety policies and procedures to operate at less restrictive levels. The program served as a model that was implemented statewide.

Polis also praised students at Central High School in Grand Junction who set up COVID vaccination clinics.

Mesa County demonstrated resilience in other ways, he said, in the aftermath of one of the largest wildfires in state history and a mudslide in the Glenwood Canyon that closed Interstate Highway 70. 

Looking ahead, the governor said Mesa County has taken the lead in work force development in implementing the CareerWise apprenticeship program as well as collaborative efforts among Colorado Mesa University, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center and Community Hospital to train health care professionals.  “We need to see more examples of this across the state.”

In the meantime, Polis said the state will help businesses and families save money.

Businesses were exempted from calculating or paying the business personal property tax for physical assets valued at less than $50,000. State legislators are considering this session another measure that would eliminate the $75 filing feee for starting a business.

A $600 million investment in the unemployment insurance relief fund will avoid payroll tax increases, Polis said.

Families will receive on average a $74 tax refund this year and $440 refund next year even as the state income tax rate is reduced, he said.

Free full-day kindergarten reduces the cost of child care for parents, as would a plan to implement free universal preschool by 2023. The effort also helps prepare children academically and keeps their parents in the workforce, Polis said.

An 8 percent increase in funding for kindergarten to 12th grade public schools is planned — the biggest increase in at least the last 20 years and perhaps ever, he said.

Increased investments also are planned for infrastructure, he said, including additional work on highways in Western Colorado as well as the Grand Junction Regional Airport.

Polis said efforts also are under way to make Colorado one of the 10 safest states within the next five years. Those efforts will include recruiting and training police as well as increased access to mental health service and additional support for domestic violence victims.

Polis joined with local officials in a ceremony in which he signed an executive order director directing the Colorado Broadband Office to develop a plan to connect more than
99 percent of Colorado households to high-speed broadband by 2027. “Stronger broadband access makes a stronger economy,” he said.