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Department of Revenue outlines call-center automation, DMV upgrades and HR1 filing impacts

Colorado Senate Finance Committee (Joint Smart Act Hearing)

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Summary

The Department of Revenue briefed the committee on three performance goals—boosting Keep Colorado Wild pass opt-ins, cutting tax call wait times by up to 50% through automation and staffing, and improving DMV services with a DRIVES upgrade and EVTR lease rollout—while warning HR1 will change how taxpayers file state returns.

Heidi Humphreys, executive director of the Colorado Department of Revenue, and Deputy Executive Director Megan Tanis presented DOR's organizational overview, performance goals and planned system upgrades to the Smart Act hearing.

DOR described three "wildly important goals": increase the Keep Colorado Wild pass opt-in rate (from about 26.9% toward a 29% goal), reduce taxation call-center wait times (target 50%) and improve DMV call-center quality. Tanis said a caller chatbot and a live-call knowledge integration tool would peel off routine refund inquiries (about 30% of calls) and free agents to handle complex cases. "We've done a huge analysis and essentially found that 30% of our calls are coming into our call center just looking for where is my refund," Tanis said.

DOR asked for supplemental resources to manage the expected surge in calls and filings tied to HR1's federal changes, noting that state filing must be compatible with IRS systems and private tax-preparation vendors. Humphreys stressed DOR's recent systems work, including a DRIVES upgrade due mid-February and EVTR lease functionality slated for phased rollout through 2027, and said those technology improvements aim to expand electronic transactions and reduce in-person demand.

Committee members pressed DOR for details on the proposed 24 FTE in the decision item, return-on-investment analysis for the Keep Colorado Wild marketing, and timing for business-filer systems. DOR said individuals can file now in line with the IRS launch and that business-filer dates will be provided to the committee; the department agreed to provide further data on FTE breakdowns and ROI.