The months leading to the November election will be filled with discussion and public outreach over local ballot items in La Plata County.
Commissioners and staff members held a work session Monday and debated the logistics of presenting two pressing questions to voters: whether the county should take on about $85 million in debt to expand the Durango-La Plata County Airport, and whether it should again propose a mill levy increase to pad a dwindling road and bridge fund.
The latter measure failed on the November 2015 ballot, a loss that county officials attribute to insufficient communication with the public and poor voter turnout.
Officials weighed the pros and cons of addressing both issues in a single ballot question this year versus multiple questions.
Dee Wisor, an attorney with Butler Snow in Denver, told officials that the Supreme Court has historically objected to a single ballot question addressing multiple issues.
Under TABOR, Colorado’s taxing law, doing so is legal but with limitations. For example, taxing an entire county to benefit a single school district is not allowed. The county also cannot consolidate issues voters bring by petition.
However, Roger Sherman of CRL Associates, Inc, a consulting firm that advises on public policy, told officials a single question might be less confusing to voters.
Regardless of the number of questions, Commissioner Julie Westendorff had reservations about the county ballot items becoming lost in the jumble of state and federal measures in 2016, as well as the hype generated by the two county commission seats (hers and Commissioner Gwen Lachelt’s) up for election.
“Honestly, I don’t want to keep running this until we get an answer we like,” Westendorff said. “If they don’t support funding roads and bridges, that’s the choice of a voter, but if we say we’re doing something for 2016, and it’s at the bottom of a seven-page ballot, we lose voters anyhow.”
She said the noise from the presidential and other candidate measures could distract, as opposed to elevate, the visibility of local items.
In previous public meetings, commissioners have considered the opposing argument, which is that a local ballot item’s chances of success decrease in a year when state and federal elections aren’t driving voters to the polls.
Lachelt said the need to fund road and bridge work remains regardless of majority rule, and another failed measure to increase property taxes would lead to “difficult decisions” in 2017.
In a recent work session, county Long-term Finance Committee member Rich Butler said the impact of the gas price decline is having a greater impact than initially calculated. This void in revenue has pressured road and bridge funding in particular.
“Like it or not, Gwen makes a valid point,” Commissioner Brad Blake said. “When roads eventually fail, voters will say, ‘Why didn’t you do something about it?’ Same with the airport. Whether it’s one question, or two questions, or three, I think the people of La Plata County expect us to put forward good questions on the ballot.”
Sherman said polling the constituency in the coming months has potential benefits.
“It won’t tell you if you’ll win an election,” he said, “but it will tell you where you need to go and have conversations with citizens.”
jpace@durangoherald.com
