State Rep. Lesley Smith told Estes Park residents Monday that Colorado lawmakers faced one of the most difficult budget years in recent memory, but she pointed to several legislative successes in clean energy and higher education during a post-session town hall meeting.
Speaking to about a dozen constituents at a post-session forum in the Estes Park Town Hall boardroom, the Boulder County Democrat provided an overview of legislation she sponsored during the 2026 session and discussed several ballot measures likely to appear before Colorado voters this fall.
Smith, who represents Estes Park in House District 49, said all three of her solar-energy bills passed the General Assembly, including House Bill 1007, Improve Customer Use Distributed Energy Resources, which will allow residents to install and use plug-in solar panels on balconies, patios, and other residential spaces.
The measure, modeled in part after programs already in use in Germany, is intended to expand access to renewable energy for apartment dwellers and homeowners who cannot install traditional rooftop solar systems.
“We were the fourth state in the country to pass it,” Smith said. “Now there are eight or nine states that have done it, and several more are looking at it.”
Smith said the plug-in systems could reduce electricity bills by an estimated 10 to 30 percent, depending on household usage.
She also highlighted legislation designed to encourage solar development on brownfield sites, House Bill 1268, Renewable Energy Development on Disturbed Lands, and another bill intended to speed construction of community solar gardens, particularly for low-income residents who cannot install solar panels on their homes, House Bill 1225, Distributed Energy Resources Requirements.
In higher education, Smith said she successfully sponsored legislation expanding concurrent enrollment opportunities, House Bill 1078, Off-Campus Courses & Concurrent Enrollment Programs, by allowing four-year colleges and universities to offer more college-level courses directly to high school students through remote instruction.
The change, she said, could help students complete significant college coursework before graduating from high school and reduce the cost of earning a degree.
Much of the discussion focused on the state’s fiscal challenges and the growing number of ballot measures expected in November.
Smith explained Initiative 195, a proposed citizen-initiated constitutional amendment she supports that would replace Colorado’s flat income tax with a graduated system. Under the proposal, taxpayers earning less than $500,000 annually would pay a lower income-tax rate, while higher earners would pay more. Revenue would be directed to a Colorado Future Fund to support K-12 education, health care, early childhood education, and child care.
The measure would also require voter approval of a change to the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, which currently requires a flat state income tax.
Smith acknowledged the state’s budget pressures, particularly in Medicaid, which lawmakers were forced to reduce as revenues lagged behind spending demands.
“We’re trying desperately to keep the cuts away from the most vulnerable populations,” Smith said. “But we have to have a balanced budget.”
Residents also asked about several potential ballot measures involving transportation funding, abortion rights, fentanyl penalties, hunting and fishing rights, LGBTQ issues, and congressional redistricting. Smith said many proposals are still gathering signatures, and voters could face a lengthy ballot in November.
Questions also touched on artificial intelligence, data centers, water resources, and nuclear energy.
Smith said she opposed efforts to classify nuclear power as clean energy because of unresolved concerns about long-term storage of radioactive waste. She also voiced support for stronger state regulations governing large data centers, including requirements that facilities rely on clean energy and pay for the infrastructure needed to serve them.
Smith said the financial challenges of aging infrastructures, deferred maintenance, and future needs are being felt across Colorado communities and encouraged local officials to pursue available grants and funding opportunities.
The meeting concluded with a discussion of drought conditions, wildfire concerns, and efforts to combat pine beetle infestations along Colorado’s Front Range. Smith noted she was recently appointed to a state commission studying the growing threat posed by ponderosa pine beetles.
The town hall was part of Smith’s post-session outreach to constituents across House District 49, which includes portions of Boulder and Larimer counties.