Colorado State Representative Rick Taggart is Christi's guest on this month's Full Circle Podcast! They talk about Rick's personal story as well as what's happening at the Colorado House of Representatives, including his focus on schools, water, and bipartisanship.
You can learn more about Rick and get in contact with him at www.rickfor55.com.
If you prefer to watch your podcasts, head over to our YouTube page!
Colorado State Representative Rick Taggart is Christi's guest on this month's Full Circle Podcast! They talk about Rick's personal story as well as what's happening at the Colorado House of Representatives, including his focus on schools, water, and bipartisanship.
You can learn more about Rick and get in contact with him at www.rickfor55.com.
If you prefer to watch your podcasts, head over to our YouTube page!
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Speaker 2:The Full Circle podcast, compelling interviews and incredible tales from Colorado's Western Slope, from the mountains to the desert. Christy Reese and her team here from the Movers Shakers, and characters of the Grand Valley and surrounding mountain towns that make the Western slope the place we all love. You'll learn, you'll laugh, you'll love with the full circle. Hi everybody. Welcome back to the Full Circle Podcast. I'm your host, Kristy Reese, where we're gonna talk about , uh, the movers and shakers in Colorado. And we've got a big mover and shaker today. I'm really honored to have state representative Rick Taggart in the house. Thank you. Thank you for being here, Rick. I know you're super busy, so we really appreciate your time. And , uh, as you told me earlier , uh, when you came in, you're gonna get busier. Yeah . 'cause you've just been appointed to the budget committee maybe temporarily, but not sure yet. And that's a big job.
Speaker 3:It is. I have to return, I'll return to the Capitol on Wednesday for a special session to hopefully help this situation with property tax and , mm-Hmm . <affirmative> looking forward , um, to a plan that has been developed by my colleagues, and we'll see how that goes. And then I return full-time on the 26th and we'll be there basically to just before Christmas. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2:<affirmative>. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So you're having to do your riding and , uh, <laugh> running in the Denver area mostly. Uh , that , that's been a change. I bet
Speaker 3:It has. Trying to , um, trying to find training time when you're a state legislature during those first five months of the year and now Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> a month of December as well. Just take some creativity. You , you , you just gotta find windows of time that you can train. Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's difficult for all of us. I know. But you're so busy. So, well, let's back up a little bit and talk about your history in Colorado a little bit. When did you first come to Grand Junction?
Speaker 3:I moved here just about 1980 mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. I was coming outta graduate school. And , um, my father , who had not been able to help me because of other commitments he had called my two older sisters <laugh> . Um, so I put myself through college and he , um, was in a position to help me. Um, and I came out here and Marmot had been formed. It was a company that was five or six years old, and I had the opportunity to become , uh, the CEO and chairman of the company. And at the same time, one of the co-owners Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And so , uh, it was a real dream for me to , to , to come to Colorado. 'cause I had competed here as a ski racer. But , uh, but to actually , uh, be here and run a company was wonderful
Speaker 2:And a great Colorado success story. Marmon
Speaker 3:It , it was, it , it was , um, it was young at the time. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And we grew very, very quickly. And like a lot of entrepreneurs, one of the things that you run into on a constant basis is a thing called cash flow . And yes, <laugh> , when you're growing that fast , uh, cash flow can be a real problem.
Speaker 2:Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And when you have a meteoric rise like that, people think that it's maybe easy. You have a lot of sales, the money's flowing, and, but it , it's challenging. Stay ahead , staying ahead of everything.
Speaker 3:It is in an industry like that , uh, the outdoor industry is all always faced a situation where , um, the dating , uh, term of how long you give your customers to pay is fairly lengthy. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And so that puts a strain on cash flow . And as more and more business has been , um, from a sourcing standpoint is done overseas, you're paying for your product that's being built overseas, right up front . Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, in some cases in advance. And so the two
Speaker 2:<laugh> don't always marry well.
Speaker 3:They don't , they don't do well. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And, and you spent some time with , uh, Swiss Army brands as well. Swiss Army brands, Victoria Knox . Is that the same?
Speaker 3:It became the one and the same. Okay. Um, the , one of the men that I met , um, and I probably should make this statement , um, I was blessed with incredible mentors , um, throughout my career. And one of my mentors was the president of WL Gore, the Goretex division. And we met, and he is the gentleman that , um, helped me later , uh, from a standpoint of when the company got to a point where we really did need to sell it , uh, he had moved to become the executive vice president of the Timberland company and worked to buy Marmon , um, from me and my partners. And , um, then later on , uh, many years later, he recruited me to be the CEO of Swiss Army. And it , it started as Swiss army. And we had always been the distributor for ox . Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, later about 10 years into my tenure, we in fact merged the two companies. Um, together. We went from being a public company to a privately held company owned by the Swiss , um, the Elsner family. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2:<affirmative>. But your schooling, you're actually an attorney. Correct. Is that what you went to school for at Syracuse?
Speaker 3:I went to school initially , um, believe it or not, to be a, a chemical engineer. Oh, wow. And , um, uh, and, and then went on to graduate school and did , um, my master's , um, and did some law school as a part of that. But I never finished my law degree. I wish I had. Um , but business sucked me in <laugh> and I never got a chance, actually, the Timberland company , um, at one point asked me to consider being general counsel and was gonna , um, pay for me to go back to school and finish a law degree. And after a lot of thought, I said, no , that's too much of a strain in the family.
Speaker 2:Uhhuh . <affirmative> . Yeah . That's too much of a strain. I can understand that. So do you feel that your role in the outdoor industry , um, were you more of a entrepreneur or more of ACEO?
Speaker 3:I think it was more of an entrepreneur , um, in the sense that what, what my passion has been throughout my , um, career in the outdoor industry was the product side of things. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . And people that knew me knew that I loved innovative product. And at Monmouth , um, my, my , uh, operating partner was a world class mountaineer. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . And so Eric , his name is Eric Reynolds, and Eric was the man behind that type of product. And I had been a ski racer, and we were going through this era , um, in skiing where you either had very high fashion product <laugh> or you had racing product, but you, there was nothing being created at that time for that enthusiast, that off piece kind of skier. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> that needed to move moisture, quite
Speaker 2:Honestly. Right. So technical wear for someone that was not a professional or some sort of registered , um, athlete in racing.
Speaker 3:So that , uh, that allowed me to, to bring my knowledge of skiing into a whole new category. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , which is today probably the, the , the biggest part of ski apparel is, is in that venue as compared to, to, to racing and fashion, which still are very important. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . Um, it's a relatively small market. And that love of , um, innovating just stayed with me. Um, no matter what the product category, I was always looking for a new idea, a new concept. And
Speaker 2:You were using the products yourself.
Speaker 3:I, I was, and that's, that's dangerous when you're using it to the degree that I like to use it <laugh> and I push it to Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> to its limits quite often. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> .
Speaker 2:And how do you think that that , um, experience in the outdoor industry has helped you with your , um, political career here in Colorado? I mean, obviously you're really involved in a lot of activities here, and you dive into the Western slope possibilities with a lot of energy.
Speaker 3:Well, it's a very different , um, um, serving this community, whether it was as a city council member or a mayor, and now a state representative, I think what you , um, two areas that come to mind initially, I've always been, and people sometimes gimme a hard time about this. I've always been very soft spoken . I've always been somewhat introverted. But the benefit of being soft spoken and introverted is that, that you develop your listening skills. And that has been always an enormous help to me. I never felt like I had to carry a conversation. I wanted to learn what was going on in a conversation. The second thing , um, that that comes to mind is something I learned in business. Something I further developed , um, that really helps me in the house. Um, today is my discipline . Um, I, I love having a busy life, which means I need to be very disciplined with my time. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And be careful not to waste , um, a great deal of time. And I'm more, more effective, quite honestly, when I'm busy than when I have free time.
Speaker 2:I think most of us find that, that , boy, those cat videos on YouTube can really suck you in <laugh>
Speaker 3:Sometimes. <laugh> . Yeah . But my wife and I get sucked in the golden Retriever , uh, videos, which are terrific.
Speaker 2:Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> every once in a while. You just need a little mindless fun. You do . So how long were you on City council here in Grand Junction?
Speaker 3:Eight years.
Speaker 2:Eight years. And two years as mayor. Two
Speaker 3:Years as mayor. Yep .
Speaker 2:What are you proudest of , uh, during that time?
Speaker 3:I'm proudest of where we're sitting right now. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, when I first moved here in the eighties, I was horrified with what was , um, this area along the river. And growing up on the East coast, rivers and lakes were just
Speaker 2:The lifeblood
Speaker 3:Yeah. And very, very special. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> to me as a young man. And I just didn't understand what had happened here. And so a lot of community members , um, most notably the Lions Club went above and beyond to, to , um, bring back this river and, or , or this land along that's, that's adjacent to the river. But when I was given the opportunity to build upon that, I, I jumped on it. I just really wanted to see us find and develop this space that, that the community could be proud of. And I go through here at least two or three times a week , um, because my training goes Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> out to the compadre plateau area as well as out to Canna Creek. And when I see people just walking and, and going down the Lazy River, which wasn't so lazy this year, <laugh> , um, and, and just enjoying themselves. Um, it, it , it means a great deal to me. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um , and I'm glad I had a piece , uh, in that
Speaker 2:It's amazing the transformation in it what is really a very short period of time from what this area used to look like. Yeah . Yeah . It's incredible.
Speaker 3:And we're gonna see , um, the adjacent property in Rios , um, go through a major transformation as well. And that's, that's exciting as well. <affirmative>
Speaker 2:And growing up in the mountains of Colorado as I did , uh, a lot of the smaller towns, they do value the, the streams and the rivers, and that is the, the highest value property in any of those communities. And it was odd that Grand Junction let their riverfront languish for so long. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah. It , it , it , it always puzzled me. Um, 'cause it may 'cause I had never seen that growing up where I grew up. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2:<affirmative>, we've got the mighty Colorado right there. Yes. It's amazing. Uh, as you're watching the city council now , uh, what are some of the issues that you, if you had more time <laugh> would like to be involved in and , and give a hand to, what do you think the city council is facing now that's interesting to you?
Speaker 3:Well, I think the major issue that city council , um, a couple of major issues , um, that city council is facing, which are not unusual to many of the municipalities in the state and across the country. Um, one affordability of housing. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> is just very, very difficult. And, you know, markets have a tendency to adjust themselves. Um, what that adjustment, you know, better than I what that adjustment is looking , um, like, but it is, it is problematic. I just came from Yeah . Um , a meeting with , uh, president John Marshall, and they're young professionals that, that want to live in municipalities like ours are , um, whether they're teachers, whether they're nurses, whether they're police officers or firefighters are just , um, really facing a very difficult time getting started from a housing standpoint. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And, and so , um, doing communities, doing everything they can to help, that affordability is going to be on the top of everyone's Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, uh, to, to-do list, and certainly property taxes add to that, which is one of the reasons we're going back to Denver. And I, I think the second issue that , uh, again, is not unique to necessarily to Grand Junction, is how can we help the houseless , um, population Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And, and so , um, I agree that the , that , uh, it was both of those were emerging as major, major concerns. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> and areas that, that council needed to be focused on. And I'm pleased to see that they, they are focused , um, on that. My concern both from , um, a local state , a local government and , and a state government, is government can only do so much. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , we only have X amount of dollars. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And, and I think in many cases people think we can totally solve this problem. I'm not sure we can, both of them , we , we certainly can help.
Speaker 2:Very difficult to find the right solutions. Yeah . Very difficult. I'm , I was on a committee with District 51 talking about solutions for affordable housing for staff of the district, whether it be teachers or, or administrative. But, you know, we went round and round and round. And how , how do you build a program that gives the benefits of home ownership without restricting the money that you can make when you sell? I mean, it's, it's a real challenge.
Speaker 3:Yeah. That , that , that whole concept of deeded restriction is, is not an easy subject. Yeah . Because it, it , it sounds good upfront , but the problem is , um, and , and you know, it better than, than I , um, that is a major source of, of building your family net worth. Yes. And when you try to cap that, which I understand that's the, the , the downside of getting someone into it Yeah . That I worry about that. Yeah,
Speaker 2:Me too. And I'm really hopeful that the number of apartments that we have coming in this community is gonna make a difference for some affordability. I think , um, rent is high and I , I think we're gonna have enough apartments. Hopefully it's gonna put some downward pressure on rents. And not everybody likes to hear that. Investors don't wanna hear rents coming down. But we , it will hopefully ease things a little bit for those who are finding it challenging to find a place to live.
Speaker 3:Well, you know , um, coming from the business side of things, competition is healthy. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> and competition does hold pricing in , in check. It always has , um, as supply meets demand. And , um, so there's a good part of me that says the marketplace has more of an impact on this longer term than we do as as government. And I'm not saying from that, that we shouldn't look for avenues to help. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , but basic rules of economics , um, are, are equally, if not more important.
Speaker 2:Agree. Agree. So Rick, how did you make the leap from city council to wanting to do more for your state and, and , uh, give your services at a higher level? I , I guess, I don't know if we could consider at a higher level, it's maybe more work <laugh> , but , um, great work here at the city level. I mean, amazing things done during your tenure, but , um, yeah . What , what made you decide to take the next step?
Speaker 3:Well , similar to, you know, I, I , the mentor I mentioned , um, Peter Gilson, who I worked so closely with at, at Marmot , and then on to Timberland, and then on the Swiss Army. I've always looked to those mentors to , um, when I'm considering something and sometimes I'm not bright enough to have considered something , um, I had mentors again , um, one that I think you know, pretty well. Tim Foster, who said, Rick, I think now is the time <laugh> . But you need to, to think about that. And , um, and that, that's good to probe me from time to time. And, and the comment that I heard was, you probably can help us help this community as much, if not more. Um, by, by having a voice and
Speaker 2:Bringing at the state
Speaker 3:Level and bringing your voice of reason to the state level. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . And that's, that's really what drove me.
Speaker 2:And so you've been there just over a year? Yeah. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And , um, talk about some of the issues that you've dealt with over the first year and , and how busy was it for you? I mean, there's just constant bills coming up.
Speaker 3:Yeah. We had , um, close, I wanna say 700 bills of which
Speaker 2:700
Speaker 3:Our , the , the amount of reading you do , um, in the state legislature is , is, is amazing. <laugh> . I'm trying to find the time to read everything, which is something I pride myself on
Speaker 2:And understand it. I'm sure <laugh> some of those , uh, the language and some of those bills can be so long and
Speaker 3:Confusing . Well, they're written by attorneys. Mm-Hmm . So , so sometimes I have to stop an attorney and, and say, would you put this in lay language <laugh> ? So I make sure I understand what you're talking about here. Um, you know, I , I'm, I'm very proud of the fact that I had 21 bills , um, this first session, 18 of which passed.
Speaker 2:Congratulations.
Speaker 3:Um , and there was a , a theme or themes in that , um, I went over , um, concern to help in the world of education, both K through 12 mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . And it's not gonna surprise people. As an adjunct professor, professor, higher education's very important to me as well. Um, I also wanted to help , uh, non-profits. So worked on several , uh, our two bills in particular to help our food banks. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, um, across the state and, and here. And , um, those were, those were very important to me. Uh, did some bills to support the veterans and our one stop center , um, here in the community and, and as well for police and firefighters. So I tried to focus on bills that, that I , um, uh, first and foremost felt would support this community, but also were issues and concerns on a statewide basis. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> a couple that, that there's a technical term that we postponed indefinitely. Pi you'll hear the term pi , uh, that I will be bringing back this next time that I, that I do want to get , um, uh, through , uh, through the general assembly. One has to do with first generation , um, universities. Uh , I don't think people realize that CMU, that almost 50% of the graduates of CMU are first generation , first generation , generation students. That's amazing. And for us to get , uh, the governor put out a goal by 2025, that 66% of adults in the state of Colorado will have some form of a certificate and or degree , um, post high school. We can't get there in Western Colorado. Um, in fact, rural Colorado as a whole can't get there unless, unless we focus on first generation students. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So recognizing those universities that are very focused on that is, is important. And I don't think people realize sometimes how much more effort it takes early on, not only from that first generation student, but the professors and the support mechanisms at a university to help that student. Um, if we can get 'em past the first 18, 18 months, two years, we can, through that sophomore year, they've got a very real chance. But, but in many cases, they're just, some of them are just not as well prepared as those of us that were fortunate grew up in families where I kid people, it wasn't. Right . It wasn't whether I was going to college. It was what college you're going to . I mean, that was
Speaker 2:Not only well prepared, but I'm guessing there's a mindset shift that has to be coaxed along with a lot of these families who, who think maybe college isn't important or, you know, they were able to survive without it, and their kids don't need it.
Speaker 3:And , and this , this situation that we have such a need for , um, individuals that, that are very good with their hands. Um, but, but still, it's great to get a certificate Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> in that area and that that , that , that too can be an enormous help to the individual and our economy and to their families. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So the other one that I was gonna say , um, that I'm gonna bring back , um, that I was disappointed that we couldn't get it through the first time was , um, on search and rescue helicopters. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> and , um, indemnifying private , uh, companies that not only volunteer their aircraft Yes. Which are expensive. Um, they also vol volunteer their pilots. And to indemnify them while they are rescuing somebody in a dangerous situation in our back country is critical.
Speaker 2:Which happens all the time in western Colorado.
Speaker 3:It , it does. And , um, CenturyLink Lumen , uh, donated their helicopter for years and their pilots who are terrific, but unfortunately because of , um, liability insurance, they can't do it anymore. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . And we don't have a fleet of helicopters. Everybody thinks that the care for , um, care flights Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> and the National Guard can cover these things. They can't Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , um, it's too big a state. And, and the , the , um, it, they're , plus they're on other missions and important missions all to their own. So I really need to galvanize some, some people and push that through this next time.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you for doing that. That's really important, obviously. So , um, committees that you're currently on, business affairs and labor finance, statutory revision committee, transportation and housing, and local government, is that a typical committee workload for a freshman?
Speaker 3:I, I, you know, I'm not sure if it's <laugh> <laugh> , um, those are four committees. Um, I'm, I'm the lead , uh, from the minority standpoint on the business , uh, in labor. And certainly , uh, when leadership of our caucus asked me to sit on those three, they , they , they aligned best with my skills. So I, I , um, there were a lot of work, but , uh, that , but it's important work. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>,
Speaker 2:What would you say are the biggest challenges you face in the State House , uh, in regard to getting things done with the political atmosphere? Um, in your view, how people reaching across the aisle? Is it, is it , um, easy to get things done or, or super challenging?
Speaker 3:Well, it's challenging to get things done , um, in the sense that , um, there isn't enough nonpartisan work. Although, having said that, I need to be careful. Um, 88% of all the bills approved , uh, signed into law were non-partisan bills. The press picks up on those 12% mm-Hmm . <affirmative> that are really contentious. And, and they are very contentious. And there are times where , uh, the decorum in, in the house, I can't speak for the Senate, but for in the house, there are times where I get a little bit concerned, to say the least. And, you know, almost embarrassed at times because I've always viewed myself as a gentleman first and foremost. But I gained a reputation for reaching across the aisle . And, and I think it's important. There are, there are times where the two parties that from a principal standpoint, we're not gonna agree Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, and that's, that's, that's government. But , um, and the political process, but the vast majority of the bills , um, um, particularly when they help , uh, parts, significant, significant parts of our population, they , they need to get through.
Speaker 2:That's a really good statistic to know. I'm , I'm really happy to hear that 88% , um, of the bills were non-partisan. Uh , that gives you some encouragement. Yeah . <laugh> . And thank you for being a gentleman on the floor, <laugh> . That's much appreciated. Uh , and we know, feel really proud to have you representing our district. Well , thank you. Yeah. Um, what do you think are the biggest challenges facing our district , uh, from your state perspective?
Speaker 3:Oh , well, I think , um, the continued concern , um, about affordable housing is, is , is going to be there. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>.
Speaker 2:And as you said earlier, not just our district, every district in the state really ,
Speaker 3:Um, this property tax , um, concern is, is very real and very problematic. And I'm just hoping that all of us that are returning, which is the whole , um, general assembly, so all hundred of us, I'm, I'm hoping everybody's returning with the thought process that our citizens are the most important part of that situation. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And we've got to solve the problem as best as we can. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And , um, I, I just, I really hope that every put everybody puts other agendas aside and we can move forward on that. And we know we're gonna be there for at least three days. Uhhuh , <affirmative> . Um, I , you know, if , if , if people have an open mind and are willing to compromise, I think we can get it done in three days. But I don't know until I get there and start listening to the debate. Right.
Speaker 2:And you have also , um, been an advocate for water conservation on the Western slope. What do you see coming down this year in that regard?
Speaker 3:Well, always are going to be very, very important. Um , bills and discussions on the , uh, on the subject of, of water conservation. And I , it , it's hard to predict what those might be. I'm, my hope is that as Coloradans, both western slope and front range Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> that we can work together, work together . But we are facing the fact that the compact of the seven states that , uh, I think most people are aware of, it's, it's quite old A but b it's built around a Colorado river that, that , um, had a capacity or proposed or not proposed. Um, a forecasted ca capacity of 15 million cubic feet of water on an ongoing basis. We have to face the fact that we're at 11 to 12 at best. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . And some folks might even say 10. And so our ability to, to come up with good legislation and not argue amongst ourselves as Coloradans to protect the water that we so desperately need for , um, life and for ag agriculture in this community, it , it , it's gonna be a strain. I, I have to say that the, the representative that, that I pay very close attention 'cause I'm not an expert on water, but we are very fortunate that our Montrose state representative, Mr. Mark Catlan , um, mark has an amazing , um, background in , in , in water and water conservation. So whenever a water bill comes up, I wander down to his desk and say, okay, tell me, tell me what you're thinking about this. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . So , so that it , uh, and he's been very, very helpful.
Speaker 2:Well, we , we are lucky here that we have good water rights in our community. I have been reading with a lot of interest about the , um, situation going on in the front range where one community is hoping to pipe water from a northern community. And there's a lot of discussion around that. And I , it's just gonna get trickier and trickier.
Speaker 3:It is . Yeah .
Speaker 2:Yeah . I don't , I don't envy you there. That's a , it's a lot of work.
Speaker 3:Well, just the growth of this state. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . And , and certainly the growth of the front range puts additional strain. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> on that situation.
Speaker 2:We , we mentioned a little bit ago , um, your interest in , um, higher education district 51, as many of us know, is one of the least funded per pupil districts, school districts in the state. What can we do about that, Rick?
Speaker 3:Well, there is a task force, well, let me , let me start from a state standpoint. Um, the dollars that were taken by the state legislature into the general fund effectively last year , um, and it was referred to as budget stabilization, which I don't know that anybody ever knew what that term meant. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . But it basically meant that the, the legislature took money from the education fund and put it into the general fund that's now ended. And there's now legislation that says that that can't happen. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Um, which is good, which helps , um, K through 12 throughout the state, not, not just district 51, but throughout the state. I think there is one more payment of 140 million, but I'm not absolutely cer certain of that. This next year, what you're , um, talking about is we have one of the most complicated funding formulas for K through 12. Also in that same bill. Um, a task force has been, I don't know if they've started yet, but they are to start , um, to start discussing that formula. That formula has never, ever benefited , um, district 51. Yeah. Nor has the formula for higher education ever supported CMU. So , um, both components of education in this community have suffered because of those formulas. And I wanna remain optimistic that, that a, something can come out of this task force as a, as a , um, proposal. And, and b, that it, that we take some of the complication out and, and have it be balanced, would be one word, but, but fair is probably the better word to say. Fair to all districts. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, the , the hard part about those kinds of formulas, whether it's K through 12 or whether it's higher education, is, you know, you have a robbing Peter to pay Paul situation right now. So the, so the districts that have done well by that formula are not gonna be happy if Yeah . If , if it gets , uh, if it gets balanced in a different , um, uh, a different way. But those are conversations that have to take place. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2:<affirmative>, thank you for having those hard conversations. Well, as we wrap up , um, obviously you would like your constituents to reach out with you with issues and you wanna hear from the people in your district. How do people here in Grand Junction get ahold of you?
Speaker 3:Well, a couple ways that they can get a get ahold of me. Um, I, I have a, a website , um, um, Rick four 50 five.com , which they can always go there. I , um, we're just revamping our , um, Facebook , um, and Instagram. I have a brand new legislative aid , so I'm looking forward to, to that. Wonderful. And that's always under Representative r Taggart. Uh , but I always take phone calls and texts and, and I always respond to emails. And so there are a variety of ways , um, to get, get to me. Some people are really good at that <laugh>
Speaker 2:And persistent.
Speaker 3:And persistent, and I appreciate that because sometimes it takes me a bit of time to do the research and come back to 'em . Um, but , uh, I try, try my best to come back to people.
Speaker 2:Is there anything else that you would like the, the people of your district to know about your goals for the next, well, you , you've got one more year in your term. Right. And assuming that you would like to continue after that , what would you like to tell the people of Grand Junction about your goals for your tenure in the , at the state level?
Speaker 3:I, I want to do , um, what I believe I did this year, and that is to look at the many significant issues we face in Western Colorado and continue to try to find solutions and reach across the aisle with , um, um, uh, for nonpartisan support for legislation to mm-Hmm . <affirmative> to , to in fact support , um, the needs of this community in Western Colorado, and hopefully in so doing this state as a whole. And I don't see that changing. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>.
Speaker 2:Uh, lastly , uh, how's your , uh, collarbone, <laugh> <laugh> ? I know you had a , a pretty nasty bike , uh, wreck not too long ago, but it seems like you've recovered well and you got back on the saddle.
Speaker 3:I , I did. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . Um , I , I still have a plate , um, in my shoulder. And , uh, the , the ligaments that they , um, connected seemed to hold it in place at some point. I probably need to have the plate taken out, but it doesn't , um, bother me a great deal in training
Speaker 2:Set off the metal detector.
Speaker 3:No, no. Not so far. <laugh> . Um , and I had a, I had a good year. I, I was on the podium and won , won some events , um, this year. So I was pleased at that. Um, I didn't do, even though I was on the podium for every event I didn't do as well as I would've liked this year. But I also have to remember that I'm balancing that with being a state representative Yeah . And an adjunct professor. And I don't get to train, like some of my training partners do. <laugh>. So <laugh> .
Speaker 2:Well, I , I think you're amazing. And I, one of my sayings that I have up on my mirror right now is discipline, not motivation. And there's days when I'm not feeling really motivated to do the things that I need to do on a daily basis, but the discipline is what I try to stick to. And I I see that. And you're very disciplined.
Speaker 3:I try. Yeah. There are some days , um, I do the same <laugh> , do I really need to go out and spend three hours on a bike today? But, but you have to find the time. Yeah,
Speaker 2:You do. Thank you so much for your service to our community.
Speaker 3:Oh ,
Speaker 2:It's my pleasure. It really means a lot. And, and I mean it, when I say thank you for being a gentleman , um, I think that your , your personality and your , um, experience , um, really represent us well. Well, thank you. I'm proud to have you.
Speaker 3:That means a great deal to me. Yeah. And thanks for having me today.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. My pleasure. Um , thanks again to State Representative Rick Taggart for joining us on the Full Circle podcast. And , um, yeah, reach out to Rick and, and let him know if there's anything you need to talk about in our district. And he'll, he'll listen. So thank you, Rick. Thank you. Thanks for listening. This is Kristy Reese signing out from the Full Circle Podcast.