The Council of Neighbors and Organizations, or CONO, is trying to alert residents of Colorado Springs and El Paso County about the budget crises facing the local governments.

So CONO – a volunteer umbrella group for the city’s neighborhoods - is sponsoring a series of free community forums where folks can come and listen to non-partisan experts discuss the economy and how it is crippling local governments.

Dave Munger, president of CONO, said the group wants to dispel a lot of the misinformation floating around about the city using “scare tactics” to justify a property tax increase and allegations of “socialist conspiracies” and the like.

The first forum was in August. The second was 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Fire Department Complex, 375 Printers Parkway, east of downtown. 

The final forum will be held 6:30-8:30 p.m., on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the West Intergenerational Center, in the old Buena Vista Elementary School at 1628 W. Bijou Street. It will feature a lengthy community discussion of the implications of the previous two forums. 

 Initial comments will be made by by:

Dave Csintyan, CEO of the Greater Pikes Peak Area Chamber of Commerce;

Jan Doran, past president of CONO

 Steve Pope, publisher of the Gazette.  Ample free parking is available on site.

  The Pikes Peak Library District is showing the sessions online and on Comcast Cable Channel 17. Below is a screen capture of Dave Munger at the first CONO forum.

CONO’s first economic forum featured Colorado Springs City Manager Penny Culbreth-Graft and El Paso County Administrator Jeff Greene. That session can be viewed on cable on this schedule:

• September 21, Monday 7:30 p.m.
• October 11, Sunday, 6 p.m.
• October 15, Thursday, 9 p.m. 

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