Colorado amendments would affect bingo, cattle-grazing and governing in a disaster

They're probably not exciting to most voters, but three measures on the November ballot will ask Coloradans about bingo, cattle-grazing and how to govern the state in a disaster. These are the lettered ballot measures — Amendments P, Q and R — that lawmakers referred to the ballot. Typically, referred measures make small, noncontroversial changes to the constitution, and this year's batch is not much different. Amendment R would eliminate property taxes for people or businesses that use government-owned land for a private benefit worth $6,000 or less. Essentially, this amendment would eliminate taxes paid by many ranchers who graze cattle on government land. Why give them a tax break? Counties say the amount of tax owed is often so small that the cost of collecting it is greater than the amount owed. The amendment would cost the state an estimated $46,000 a year in lost funding for schools. It would also eliminate an estimated $160,000 per year in property-tax revenue for local governments, of which $46,000 would come from local school funding...more