By suggesting that many of the lodgers tax opponents “probably came here as tourists,” Sweetie Marbury (March 30, “Lodgers tax proposal is a win-win for Durango”) alludes to one of the biggest problems with the proposal: that Durango is already packed with tourists, and quite a few of them want to stick around.
These potential newcomers produce a housing demand that can only make Durango’s skyrocketing prices worse. Why would Durango voters approve more money to advertise our town, given the already diminishing opportunities for both longtime and aspiring residents to gain a foothold here?
There may be little average Durangoans can do about larger economic forces that affect our quality of life, but we can pump the brakes on some of the negative impacts by rejecting this ballot initiative. We can then write and approve a much better lodgers tax proposal that will fund affordable housing and other needs of residents.
Please vote “No” on 1-A.
Jon BroholmDurango
