At the request of County Commissioner Julie Westendorff, I was asked to serve on the County Fiscal Sustainability Steering Committee, which was tasked to look at ways for the county to raise funds to support La Plata County Road and Bridge’s budget in the coming years. The loss in revenue due mostly to the current price of natural gas and the reduction in production of gas and oil were reducing the funds available for road maintenance and other county services.
The committee looked at raising funds from a sales tax increase, use tax, property tax increase (all requiring approval by the voters). We first met in June 2015 and listened to a report from the Long Term Finance Committee, which had been studying these issues for over a year, and after eight weeks of meetings and extensive discussions with Road and Bridge, the county manager, county assessor and others, we as a group (there were about 30 of us) reached a censuses that a mill levy increase was the best way to raise the necessary funds for road maintenance and capital projects.
There have been letters in the paper in favor of this proposal and at least one against this tax increase. One objected to putting the burden on property owners, but in reality, all residents whether tenants, owners or customers will share the burden through higher rents or costs of goods and services.
I feel that the quality of our county roads reflects directly on how we view the value of our beautiful portion of Southwest Colorado. I urge all my neighbors and residents of La Plata County to vote in favor the mill levy increase. I would also put my name forward to serve on the Citizens Advisory Committee, which would advise the county commissioners on priorities for road and bridge projects.
David Kramer
Durango
