The current ½-cent city sales tax dedicated to the construction and maintenance of the rec center and the Animas River Trail system will not end until 2019. Before automatically agreeing to a 20-year extension of this specifically dedicated tax, please consider a few things.
There is an attitude that this isn’t a new tax. But in 1999 it was a new tax, and it had a sunset date for a reason: So it would be approved. It’s interesting that we are already being asked to approve an extension of a tax that won’t end for another four years. Convenient timing since the fiscal impact of more critical projects is not yet determined. Timing is everything, right?
Would you approve this tax extension if you knew how much your water/sewer fees will actually increase in the next two years? Would you approve this tax extension if your property taxes increased to fund airport improvements? Would you approve this extension if gasoline taxes are increased 15 cents/gallon for road and bridge repair and maintenance? Would you rather use this tax for a different purpose?
Because we aren’t yet sure about other potential fee and tax increases, why not vote “No” in April, deal with the financial impacts of pending and likely increases in the county property tax, gasoline tax and city utility fees, then revisit extending this current tax for recreation at a later date? The current tax doesn’t end until 2019.
R. Michael Bell
Durango
