Commission staff sets tight deadline for commissioner comments on 2025 tax preference reviews

JLARC staff outlined the next steps for commissioners reviewing the 2025 tax preference recommendations and set a short timeline for submitting individual comments. Pete Van Morssel, JLARC staff, told the Citizens Commission that agency responses and both written and oral public testimony have been distributed to commissioners and that a web-based comment form will be sent to each voting commissioner at the end of the meeting.

Van Morssel said the form will present each JLARC recommendation individually and allow commissioners to endorse, not endorse, provide written comments or recuse. He initially gave a submission deadline of Tuesday, October 7, then corrected that the deadline is Tuesday, September 30 to allow the chair a week to assemble consolidated comments. The chair will distribute consolidated comments and meeting materials by Tuesday, October 14 for discussion and possible adoption at the commission’s October 21 meeting.

Representative Jerry Pollet asked whether his role as an ex officio member included receiving the comment form. Van Morssel replied the forms are distributed to voting commission members only because the adoption of comments is an action for voting members. Van Morssel also reminded commissioners that the packet includes an example comment the commission adopted in a prior year and that individual members may submit a minority report under the commission bylaws.

No formal vote was taken on the timeline; the presentation functioned as staff direction on process. Commissioners were instructed to contact JLARC staff with questions and were given submission and mailing addresses for written testimony to be added to the record.