Purpose of Pillars
The pillars of the Greater Arvada Chamber of Commerce Advocacy KAPS Council are designed to set the general tone and clarity for legislative and policy discussions that impact businesses located within the City of Arvada in both Jefferson and Adams counties. The guidelines listed below are principles intended to support a non-partisan, pro-business approach to advocacy and to lead to focused, robust conversations.
General Policy Approach
The Greater Arvada Chamber a proactive policy approach that protects the interests of businesses located within the City of Arvada in both Jefferson and Adams counties..
- A regulatory climate that is balanced, consistent, and predictable, thus creating an environment that encourages business growth and stability.
Meaningful initiatives and legislation that minimize fiscal impact and resource drain on employers, but address identified community needs. - Legislation that considers the longevity of funding resources to ensure sustainability.
- Utilize sunset language to ensure legislation has a specific time frame to be evaluated for continuation, revision, or termination.
- A tax structure that does not disproportionately impact businesses.
- A focus on fixing the fundamental problem not temporary or hyper-localized solutions.
Business Regulation
- Support legislation that seeks to identify and eliminate redundancy, inefficiency, and contradiction.
- Support an environment that focuses on outreach and education instead of penalties for first-time or minor issues of non-compliance.
- Support the elimination of “red tape” at all levels of government that creates barriers and costs businesses money and resources.
- Oppose legislation that creates new regulations and liability without an appropriate assessment of need and cost, including the cost for businesses to comply with or enforce the legislation.
Workforce and Education
- Support legislation and programs that will continue to provide and expand career and technical education for all K-12 students.
- Support work-based learning opportunities with greater emphasis on career exploration at all levels.
- Support measures that ensure that talent pipelines are designed to meet businesses’ talent needs.
- Support employer incentives that promote increased participation from businesses in talent development and work-based learning.
- Support sustainable funding solutions to meet talent needs that are easy to access and do not drain resources from other critical infrastructure.
- Improve Colorado’s longitudinal data on education and workforce training, make it accessible and transparent, and use data to inform investments in workforce programs.
- Implement and monitor regional talent-development goals and action plans aligned with economic development needs and progress.
Housing
- Support Increasing the production and preservation of rental and for-purchase-income-aligned housing units for the workforce.
- Safeguard and sustain existing funding mechanisms (tax incentives, bonds, etc.) for income-aligned housing, especially for units serving individuals and families at 60-120% AMI.
- Support expansion of first-time homebuyer incentives to cater to all income levels, especially those at 60-120% AMI.
- Support comprehensive policies for state-level and local zoning, building codes, and engineering design standards to reduce development costs strategically, promoting a business-friendly climate.
- Incentivize businesses of all sectors and sizes with resources, tax incentives, etc., to support access to income-aligned housing for their workforce
- Ensure proposed construction defects legislation recognizes and avoids contradictory policies that may negatively impact development
Child Care
- Support legislation that enhances the coherence of childcare regulations. This includes a comprehensive review of existing rules to eliminate redundancy, resolve contradictions, and provide a clear, concise framework for childcare providers that simplifies licensing procedures and reduces bureaucratic hurdles.
- Promote legislation incentivizing the growth of childcare capacity through workforce and talent pipeline development. This includes policies that promote the recruitment, training, and retention of qualified childcare providers.
- Support legislation that incentivizes or subsidizes childcare service options for employees. This can include policies for tax incentives, on-site/near-site childcare incentives, and other benefits to foster employer engagement in childcare support for the workforce.
- Support legislation that seeks to sustain funds to expand childcare options, including early childhood education, childcare centers, licensed-home-based care, out-of-school programming, universal preschool (UPK), Family-Friend-and-Neighbor care (FFN), and Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) to bolster the overall capacity of childcare services.
- Promote funding that facilitates the co-location of childcare/early childhood education facilities within income-aligned housing developments. This approach seeks to enhance accessibility, increase childcare capacity in communities, and reduce transportation barriers for families.
The Greater Arvada Chamber Advocacy KAPS Council
Vision: Arvada businesses are the voice that influences pro-industry regulation and opportunity in Arvada, Jefferson County, Adams County and Colorado.
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