[Editor's Note: This news coverage has been underwritten by Factual Aspen Investigative Reporting (FAIR). FAIR has been formed and organized in Aspen, Colorado, as a nonprofit corporation to conduct investigative journalism in the public interest, and to provide accurate, meaningful, and non-biased news coverage based on correct factual information.]
ASPEN, COLORADO (Post Time News) – Aspen voters who go to the polls Tuesday are being asked by local politicans and public officials to make momentous decisions that could ultimately cost residents over $300 million combined for affordable housing, daycare, and transportation.
“All these referendums are coming at a horrible time,” Pitkin County Commissioner Jack Hatfield told Post Time News. I’m not going to support any of them [except Referendum 1A to protect Colorado's lakes and rivers]. We are going through tough economic times and should not be asking voters to pay more in taxes to support referendums. It is just fiscally irresponsible. This is just wrong.”
“We should not be asking for all this money,” Aspen resident Mike Maple said at a town hall meeting on the ballot items. “This is wrong. We don’t need tax increases, now we need tax relief.”
The main decisions facing Aspen include Referendum 3B, an item asking for a $12 million bond for affordable housing for the School District workers; the repayment cost is set at $21.6 million. The School District is also asking for $1.5 million per year over the next three years in Referendum 3A to upgrade the technology and transportation for the School District.
In Referendum 4A, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) is asking for a $44.555 million dollar bond with a maximum repayment cost of up to $99.162 million.
On top of these big-ticket referenda there are two others that would cost the citizens of Aspen more money. Referendum 2E calls for a 0.45 percent sales tax on affordable housing and day care at a cost of $2,384,779 in 2008; and $2,408,523 in 2009. City of Aspen Director of Finance & Administrative Services Don Taylor told Post Time News the extension of the 1.0 percent Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT), Referendum 2F, will also cost citizens $6 million in 2008 and 2009. At the rate of $6 million per year, extending the RETT for 16 years through 2040 would cost taxpayers an additional $96 million. As for 2E, the rate of $2 million in extra taxes per year from 2010-2040 would add an additional $60 million. These two tax measures for affordable housing–plus the repayment of the Aspen School District bond–could cost taxpayers an additional $177 million or even more for affordable housing in an election year when the City of Aspen is seen as retrenching on the issue.
Referendum 1A is a sales tax designed to facilitate healthy rivers and streams. The referendum calls for Pitkin County taxes to be increased up to $1 million annually for the fiscal year in 2009 and then the referendum would raise county sales taxes by one-tenth of one percent. For this referendum Pitkin County debt will be increased by an amount not to exceed $12 million with a maximum repayment cost of $21 million. The money garnered from this will protect Colorado’s rivers and streams. According Pitkin County Commissioner Rachel Richards the tax would produce just about $1 million per year.
Referendum 1B would raise property taxes in Pitkin County. For every $100,000 in property value voters would pay a rate equal to $16 per year. This is estimated to generate approximately $5.4 million per year to improve county roads.
Finally, Referendum 2G will have the voters decide if they want to increase the Burlingame Ranch Affordable Housing Density from 236 units to 300 units.
“It’s a good question,” said Councilman Steve Skadron when asked about the high cost of the referendums. “Asking for over a hundred million dollars in tough economic times like these deserves some attention. People really need to look at these referendums and ballot items and make sure they want to spend the money.”
Pitkin County Commissioner Patti Kay-Clapper sees it differently.
“I am struggling through these tough economic times,” Clapper said. “My husband lost his job and we are struggling. But we need to pass all of these
referendums now because if we don’t do it now eventually we are going to be asked to spend more down the road. So let’s pass them now so years
later we are not going to be asked to pass more referendums and ballot issues that will cost us even more money.”
Pitkin County Commissioner Dorothea Farris thinks the people will make the right decisions.
“These referendums and ballots are not just automatically going to pass,” Farris said. “The people need to vote on them and I personally trust the choices that the voters will make. If they think some referendums and ballots are asking for too much money then they have the right to vote them down. That’s the way it works. I personally am going to vote for all the referendums because I think we need the services like RFTA and we also
need to help the Aspen School District.”
“I am for some referendums but against others,” said Aspen resident Cari Kuhlman. “I think affordable housing is really important as is the Real Estate Transfer Tax. On some of the other issues I am undecided. I think voters really need to take a look at these referendums and make what they think are the best decisions.”