There is nothing like a good, old-fashioned town hall meeting — especially in the age of social media and online forums where political dialogue can devolve beyond constructive. Engaging in conversations, idea-sharing, and yes, even criticism, in-person is part of a healthy democracy. That is why, as your state senator, I have always prioritized holding town hall meetings with my constituents.

I just finished my annual Post-Session Town Hall Tour of the beautiful senate district I am lucky to serve. This tour took me to all 10 counties of Senate District 8 and I held 11 town hall meetings with various colleagues from the Colorado House who also serve those counties.

We held meetings in Eagle, Idaho Springs, Frisco, Walden, Granby, Craig, Steamboat Springs, Rangely, Meeker, Glenwood Springs and concluded in Central City. We convened around 400 community members over the course of this tour to discuss what happened at the legislature this year, celebrate some big wins for our rural and mountain communities, answer questions and hear ideas for challenges that need to be addressed in the future.

At every town hall we talked about the major bills from this year that will benefit Western Colorado: water conservation, historic investments in education, boosting rural economies, supporting more affordable housing, and meaningful property tax relief, just to name a few.

In Frisco, Speaker Julie McCluskie and I highlighted our work on HB24-1379, which has made Colorado the first state in the nation to restore protections to our wetlands, rivers and streams after the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated national protections. We noted continued investment in affordable housing policy and work to retain our existing affordable housing with bills like SB24-002, which we championed to encourage more long-term rentals instead of short-term rentals.

In Walden and Granby, the Speaker and I heard from many of you about the concerns and impacts of wolf reintroduction and the livestock depredation that is occurring as a result. We heard you and are doing everything we can to hold Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Governor’s Administration accountable and pass bills like we did last year to guarantee compensation for losses and mandate engagement with community members by CPW commissioners.

In Craig and Steamboat, Rep. Meghan Lukens and I talked about how SB24-197 will increase stream flows, keep water in the Yampa River and expand protections for agricultural water. We also celebrated SB24-190, which will encourage businesses to move to coal-transitioning communities and use the rail line to move freight. This program will bring new jobs and make passenger rail from Craig to Hayden, Steamboat, Grand County and on to Denver feasible by the end of the decade.

In Eagle, we discussed the progress we are making to support child care, affordable housing and protecting our environment and open spaces. And in Rangely and Meeker, Rep. Lukens and I visited with Rio Blanco County residents and leaders about how we can better support our rural communities, rural school districts, and ensure rural voices are heard at the legislature.

In Glenwood Springs, Rep. Elizabeth Velasco and I shared how HB24-1435 will fund water conversation and infrastructure investments, including efforts to help the Colorado River District acquire the Shoshone water right. We also presented our shared bill, SB24-100, that is going to make I-70 and our mountain passes safer by keeping semi trucks in the right lane and requiring that commercial vehicles carry chains.

In Idaho Springs and Central City, Rep. Judy Amabile and I spoke about the legislature’s efforts to combat the mental health and suicide crisis plaguing our state and especially our small towns, including our shared HB24-1081 as other important investments in mental health resources we made this year. We heard concerns around wildfire, rural broadband, and other challenges. While we are making progress, more work is required to address these issues.

At every stop, I heard about affordability — it’s the top concern in every corner of my district. This year, we worked to address affordable housing needs and property taxes, to which we are providing meaningful and long-term reductions to your property tax bill: this bipartisan effort will lower residential and commercial tax rates, give local governments certainty as they plan for the future, and protect our schools. We also passed the largest income and sales tax cut in Colorado history.

Victories for public education were a topic at every meeting as well. This year, the state finally paid off the Budget Stabilization Factor and restructured the public school finance formula, both of which will bring a targeted increase of funding to our rural schools.

Thank you to everyone who attended a town hall; I genuinely appreciate your interest, questions, criticisms and hopes for the future, and I look forward to seeing how those ideas create opportunities for further conversation and potential legislation. I welcome continued feedback as the year goes on: SenatorDylanRoberts@gmail.com or 970-846-3054.

Dylan Roberts is the state senator for Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt and Summit counties.