I will vote YES on Durango ballot question 2A to increase a combination of city sales and property taxes, and I hope you will consider joining me.
If you had participated in the community engagement meetings related to this initiative this past spring and summer, you would have heard a range of thoughtful views.
At the end of the day, however, I think you might agree with me that 2A is the best available option for reconciling current and future city finances with the needs of its citizens.
Most urgently, you would have learned that if 2A does not pass, the city of Durango will likely begin running significant deficits in 2020 and beyond, fiscal shortfalls that grow redder year by year, with accompanying deterioration of city roads and streets as well as elimination or reduction of services we value.
A major target for the increased revenue is a new police station. The current building, originally accommodating 30 people in 1985, now houses 60-plus police and support professionals. Some officers work in what were formerly closets.
The current building not only challenges present policing of the city but also is wholly inadequate for a growing population.
These are your streets and sidewalks that will be maintained and improved, your neighbors that will keep their city jobs and earn a fair wage or salary, your city that will be safer, and your city that will remain one you are proud of.
Please consider joining me in voting YES on 2A.
Bill Lemaire
Durango
