ISSUE #277: Your Local Ballot (10/15/24)

"Talk is cheap, voting is free; take it to the polls."

-- Nanette L. Avery

Your November 5 ballot should be arriving momentarily. In addition to the federal races, there are numerous issues of great importance locally. Turn your ballot in early! (Ballot questions? www.Pitkinvotes.com) Here is how I'm voting:

PITKIN COUNTY BALLOT MEASURES

Pitkin County Issue 1A – NO

This new county-wide property tax would “be used for affordable and attainable housing purposes,” estimated to bring in $8.5 million/year for the next 25 years. This dedicated revenue stream COULD be used for building senior and transitional housing, supporting partnerships, buying down free market properties and preserving and restoring current subsidized housing, however, actual use of this revenue is undetermined and unspecified. Weren’t your property taxes high enough this year? And has Pitkin County conveniently forgotten its role in APCHA – the Aspen Pitkin County Housing Authority? Or is it starting its own program to distance itself from APCHA since this failed one is completely managed by the city? This measure merely creates a revenue stream for the county to throw at unproven housing solutions with no goals, metrics and most notably, no finish line. It’s preposterous. Vote NO.

Pitkin County Issue 1B – YES

This bond measure seeks to raise $22 million to expand the Pitkin County landfill. The landfill is expected to exceed its boundaries in the next 5 years. This is not a new tax.

Pitkin County Question 1C – YES

This amendment to the home rule charter reaffirms the Board of County Commissioner’s existing authority to approve and implement a plan for the Pitkin County Airport that meets federal and local legal requirements. We elected the county commissioners to make such decisions on our behalf. They are having to pose this question because of a citizen’s petition Question 200 below.

Pitkin County Question 200 – NO

This amendment would strip the powers of the Board of County Commissioners to expand or relocate any runway at the Pitkin County Airport unless approved by a public vote. To risk losing federal funding for the airport is a foolhardy and anti-tourist “stick it to the man” attempt to bring back Aspen’s quiet years, dramatically risking the future of our airport and jeopardizing our economy. 

Aspen Issue 2A - NO

Aspen’s 1% Real Estate Transfer Tax is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2040 but this seeks to extend it for 20 years until December 31, 2060.  This extension is to collateralize a revenue stream for the city to use to develop the Lumberyard.  I am no fan of The Lumberyard, but professional development is the ONLY way this project should progress, if it must be built. Until a partnership is finalized, I find this RETT extension to be premature, not to mention vague, and it gives the city too much leeway to still finance and build the project itself which would be a disaster waiting to happen. 

** AND in late-breaking news, at last night's work session on the 2025 budget, the cost estimate for Phase 0 of The Lumberyard (horizontal infrastructure) was raised from $14.2 million to $45 million!!!! DO NOT AUTHORIZE THESE FOOLS TO HAVE ANY MORE FINANCIAL LEVERAGE TO THROW HALF A BILLION DOLLARS + AT THE LUMBERYARD!!

Aspen Issue 2B - NO

Aspen’s 0.45% sales tax for affordable housing and day care is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2040 but this seeks to extend it for 20 years until December 31, 2060.  This extension is to collateralize a revenue stream for the city to use to develop the Lumberyard.  I am no fan of The Lumberyard, but professional development is the ONLY way this project should progress, if it must be built. Until a partnership is finalized, I find this RETT extension to be premature, not to mention vague, and it gives the city too much leeway to still finance and build the project itself which would be a disaster waiting to happen.

** See above 2A

Aspen Issue 2C – YES

Aspen is one of the only remaining municipalities in Colorado that collects sales vs. use taxes on vehicle sales. This is a housekeeping measure that reduces the vehicle sales tax in line with the rest of the state.

PITKIN COUNTY OFFICES

Pitkin County Commissioner – District 3       Greg Poschman

Pitkin County Commissioner – District 4       Jeffrey Woodruff

Pitkin County Commissioner – District 5       Toni Kronberg

I am supporting Toni Kronberg in the only competitive seat for BOCC. Toni has been a tireless local activist with deep knowledge of local issues (land use, environment, recreation, transportation, transit and highway safety, housing and the Aspen Airport), having met many of these head on.  

Her wise objection to the new property tax for housing (1A) reflects her stance on subsidized housing development that preserves the county’s rural character vs a blank check for vague ideas and potential “partnerships.”

Toni is focused on the Highway 82 corridor as Priority #1.  She has established herself as an advocate of novel and innovative solutions, as opposed to piecemeal, quick fixes that have long proven to be anything but. We desperately need new vision!

You’re already aware of Toni’s work on the community’s behalf. She has thanklessly brought the following issues to Referendum votes – no small feat:

·      Save Galena Plaza Open Space

·      Aspen and Snowmass Rec Centers

·      Aspen Visitors Center

·      Aspen Recycling Center

·      Aspen’s City Hall

·      Burlingame Housing

In contrast, her opponent Francie Jacober vociferously supports the new property tax for housing,  despite there being no plan associated with it. Francie acknowledges that wages and housing costs are completely out of whack, rental housing is unattainable and the valley commute is bad for quality of life. But when even the schools found the current environment unripe for a property tax hike given our recent tax bills, Francis admits the specific plans for the tax are still TBD but wants to raise them anyway. 

Furthermore, as a member of the APCHA board, Francie has done absolutely nothing to advance transparency at the housing authority, and consistently agrees with city staff not to audit the program to determine what it is we actually need.

Let’s put a do-er on the BOCC. Toni Kronberg.

STATE BALLOT MEASURES

Amendment G – YES

This homestead exemption would expand the existing property tax exemption for veterans with disabilities to include vets with individual unemployability status, estimated to affect 3400 veterans.

Amendment H – YES

This would establish a new way to handle judges accused of wrongdoing, independent of the state supreme court through an independent judicial discipline board made up of judges, attorneys and members of the public.

Amendment I – YES

This housekeeping measure addresses an unintended consequence of Colorado’s 2020 repeal of the death penalty. Currently only capital offenses can be denied bail so this would make first degree murder suspects ineligible for bail as long as prosecutors can show they have a strong enough case.

Amendment J – YES

Another housekeeping measure. The Colorado constitution still contains obsolete language that defines marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman, even though the US Supreme Court legalized same sex marriage in 2015.

Amendment K – NO

This would move up the deadlines for citizen initiatives to file petition signatures, judge’s declarations of intent to run and ballot measures, in order to give clerks more time to finalize ballots.

Amendment 79 - NO

This would protect access to legal abortion, lift a ban on public funding allowing the state to cover more abortions under Medicaid, and enable state and local governments to add abortion coverage to their insurance plans.

Amendment 80 – YES

This would establish the right to school choice.

Proposition JJ – NO

This allows the state to keep and spend all tax revenue from sports betting, approved in 2019. The original revenue estimates ($29 million/year) are now expected to be much higher, but under TABOR, voters must approve the state keeping the excess which would go toward water conservation and protection projects.

Proposition KK – NO

This is a 6.5% excise tax on gun and ammunition sales that would generate $39 million annually to fund behavioral health support, school safety, gun violence prevention and services for domestic violence and other violent crimes.

Proposition 127 – YES

This would end hunting season for mountain lions and bobcats, and bars the state from ever allowing lynx (a Colorado endangered species) hunting. It still provides for federal employees to conduct population management efforts and ranchers to prevent livestock depredation (with state permission).

Proposition 128 – YES

This would require people who are convicted of murder, sexual assault, aggravated robbery and serious cases of assault, kidnapping, arson and burglary to serve at least 85% of their sentence before being eligible for parole or early release.  This is an increase from the current law that allows inmates to apply for discretionary parole after serving 75% of their sentence or even sooner if they’ve earned time off for good behavior.  Plus, there would be no chance of early release if convicted of such offenses 3+ times.

Proposition 129 – YES

This would create a new mid-level position between vet tech (2 years associate degree) and veterinarian (8+ years) called vet professional associate (masters degree). VPAs would work under a licensed veterinarian to address a shortage of veterinary care.

Proposition 130 – YES

This would require the state government to set aside $350 million in a dedicated fund for law enforcement that would pay a new, million dollar death benefit to the survivors of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty and for funding grants to boost hiring and retention. The funds would come from the existing budget, not new taxes.

Proposition 131 – NO

This would overhaul the state election system by creating both a jungle primary (all qualified contenders are on the same ballot and the top 4 vote getters advance, regardless of party affiliation) and institutes ranked choice voting, also known as instant run-off voting (IRV), affecting elections for all state offices, board of education, University of Colorado regents, US Senators and Representatives and state legislators.

Representative to US Congress - District 3 - Jeff Hurd

Despite former Aspen city councilman Adam Frisch's massive fundraising advantage, Grand Junction attorney Jeff Hurd is a mainstream "chamber of commerce Republican" who has focused his campaign in our largely rural district on energy policy. Frisch, who narrowly lost in 2022 to polarizing MAGA figure Lauren Boebert, no longer has that foil, while Hurd vows to fight to secure the border, unleash western Colorado's energy production and fight back against Washington's failed economic policies.