WASHINGTON—A new “scorecard” of sorts shows Utah, Virginia and Washington state have the most effective state governments in the country — but Colorado receives only a passing grade.
The Pew Center on the States released the report yesterday, ranking states based on how well they manage their budgets, staffs, infrastructure and information.
Colorado received a “C+” overall. The center complemented the state for passing Referendum C, which helps provide more funding for higher education by allowing the state to keep tax surpluses for five years.
The referendum narrowly passed in 2005, and the center warned that the referendum is set to expire in 2010.
The study also lists the state’s training and development of people, and infrastructure maintenance, as weaknesses.
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Colorado was also knocked for weaknesses in three areas of information use: strategic direction, budgeting for performance and managing for performance.
The report says states with the highest scores have made management improvement and innovation a priority.
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Pew Center on the States – Report:
