A committee founded by anti-tax advocate Douglas Bruce saw its assets increase by $250,000 in 2008.

When asked about the increase by a Gazette reporter on Wednesday, Bruce said he donated property he owned in California to the organization, which is called Active Citizens Together.

“There’s no law against giving a property, so there’s your answer. I’ve owned it for 25 years,” said Bruce, who authored the 1992 TABOR amendment, which limits how much government can grow in Colorado.

Papers filed with the IRS and publicly available through Guidestar show the committee’s  ”public support” went  from $14,588 in 2004 to $517,375 in 2008.

According to the 2008 filing, the committee’s primary purpose is to “advocate awareness of and enjoyment of all constitutional and other legal rights, including the bill of rights and petitions.”

The word ‘petition’ shows up for the first time in the 2008 statement. At about that time, Bruce launched two petition drives aimed at city-owned enterprises,  including Stormwater, Utilities and Memorial Health System.

The two ballot measures failed, but Bruce succeeded in getting a similar measure on the city ballot in 2009 with the help of professional petition circulators, several of whom lived in an apartment he owned on Boulder Street.

In 2009, voters approved Issue 300, which effectively ended payments to the city from its various enterprises. After the measure passed, the Colorado Springs City Council ended the Stormwater Enterprise, and the measure has contributed to the city’s ongoing financial problems.