Since moving to Durango in 2008, we have loved using the amazing Durango Community Recreation Center and the Animas River Trail, both supported by the 1999 half-cent sales tax. The important April 7 vote on Question 1-A to extend that half-cent sales tax is critical to Durango’s future.

The best thing about a sales tax is that it is paid not only by our residents but by visitors to our city, as well. If you spend $100 on goods in Durango this year, you only will be paying 50 cents for this tax, and that money will fund recreation, trails and parks, taking pressure off the general fund and allowing those funds to be used for necessary infrastructure and other important city needs.

Voting to extend the tax this year, instead of waiting for its expiration, will allow for better long-term planning and continuity of programs, and it is a much smarter way to manage our public funds. The public will have ample opportunities for input on expenditures in the coming years since the measure provides for a yearly review of proposed expenditures by a community advisory board that will make recommendations to the City Council as part of the annual budget process.

I hope you will vote to extend this valuable tax.

Carol Cure

Durango