Comments on: Just how low are Springs property taxes?

By: /Bill Temaat

/Bill Temaat — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:36:20 +0000

We hear about all the parks being closed. Sure they are going to put a fence around them, so we can’t use them.

Let the city live with in its budget, as we have to. I have some rental homes, and I sure as heck can’t raise my rent to cover all the things the city wants.

By: Dick Burns

Dick Burns — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:14:38 +0000

Also, when you say Fort Collins imposes a 2.25 percent tax on “food,” is that on restaurant food, or grocery items? Or both?

By: Dick Burns

Dick Burns — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:09:40 +0000

John, according to the El Paso County website, their 2009 mill levy is 7.253.

By: R. Gene Scalf

R. Gene Scalf — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:23:46 +0000

EVERY TAX; regardless how much, who is collecting it or what it is called–is eventually paid for by John/Joan Q. Public. For instance: if you are renting a home, the owner pays a property tax. This tax is incorporated into the rent. When you buy a gallon of gasoline, the government has placed numerous taxes from the drilling to the pumping it into your car and everyone of those taxes are incorporated into the price you pay for that gallon of gasoline. The “Storm Drain” fees (tax) that I am charged on my rentals is actually passed on to my tenants—who voted to approve the taxes in the first place. Sometime back, I did a research on all the taxes that are hidden from public view as well as all the taxes we are familiar with, and I found that over 70% of what we earn is going to pay taxes, one form or another. There is an old country riddle: “If you had all the feathers you could carry, could you carry just one more?” The answer, of course, is no. The next time any government asks you for a hand-out, tell them “No Thanks.”

By: FactFinder

FactFinder — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:50:24 +0000

So we have been regaled by City employees, City Councilmen, and newspaper editors alike, all declaring us to be the most “undertaxed” city ever! And like everything else we get from them, yet another lie.

Thank you to The Colorado Springs Business Journal for a very professional investigation into this issue. Very nice work.

Incidentally, I would like to see an annual total of city revenues, including every source, like lotto, federal and state grants, and taxes retained by the city and not refunded to the citizens. Then list the revenue totals by year, so we can see how much real growth in city revenues has actually occurred. And finally, lets calculate the real annual growth in total city revenues for the last ten years. I think that would be interesting.

By: Gene Finkelstein

Gene Finkelstein — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:34:45 +0000

There have always been people in this city who don’t trust their government(s) Do we know what proportion of them vote? Should they influence you thinking.

Right now I live near the corner of Austin Bluffs and Templeton Gap. In the 60′s I lived near the corner of Prospect and Templeton Gap. From 1983 to 2006 we live in two different locations in Rockrimmon. My wife has been in the two hospitals and a nursing home since May 2. The first was Memorial. The second was Center at Centennial. And the third is Brighton Gardens. For variety’s sake I have driven many ways to get to them. That’s to spend time with my wife, usually from early morning to mid to late afternoon. How many of you have driven on the roads herein that kind of variety over the years. How many of you have found them in the same condition they were in in the 60′s? They were good then. They are strictly lousy now.

The van driver was taking me and my wife in her wheel chair to another place when he apologized for all the noise his van was making because of the wheel chair holder and because of the roads. He was very concerned for my wife.

How many policemen have you seen wandering the roads these days? Not very many. How many times have you gone to renew your driver’s license and found the door locked because of the shortage of money. How about Public Health Clinic?

I know that there are plenty of conservatives in this town, but I never knew until I moved here that they would starve their cities. I am really ashamed to drive when my kids come to town. Where do they live? In the same type of of environment: Texas and Arizona.

There are also Libertarians represented in this city. I was a Republican from the time I started voting when I was 21 until recently. What I see now is not what I consider Republicanism. Why is there so much violence and rancor in the country. I changed when supply side economics came into vogue. It divided the country into two parts, I believe: them that has and them that don’t. That’s when the middle class started to disappear: not now, then. Mr. Carter was of no help, but it wasn’t all his fault.

Most of us believed our leaders in those days. If we didn’t we voted them out. How many dynasties do we have now? Vote them out if you don’t believe them, but don’t hurt your city. We need the tax raise. TABOR has hurt us badly, not the Council. We don’t need TABOR in this city, we need that tax increase to make us a beautiful city again, to bring us more clean industry and more tourists.

If you don’t believe me, just give it a try once, and then you can go back to your old ways.

By: Jane Hammoud

Jane Hammoud — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:08:12 +0000

Interested readers of the above article who want more facts, may be interested in knowing that Dean Venkat Reddy and the UCCS College of Business Alumni invite the community and BJ readers to a Crash Course in City Budget 101 with featured speakers Dr. Tom Zwirlein, Professor of finance, UCCS College of Business,member, Sustainable Funding Committee and co-founder, Southern Colorado Economic Forum and Dr. Penny Culbreth-Graft, City Manager of Colorado Springs and lecturer, UCCS School of Public Affairs :

Friday, October 16th from 7:30 – 9 am
UCCS University Center Theatre, Room 302
Parking is free in Lot 3 only from 7 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Complimentary parking provided by UCCS Parking Services.

This is a just the facts session – no politics – for those interested in gathering more information about the City ‘s revenues and expenses and how decisions are being made – from a business finance position.

This event is free and open to the public, but we do request that you RSVP as seating is limited: cobalum@uccs.edu or 719-255-3777.

By: Christopher Colvin

Christopher Colvin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:38:12 +0000

Let me justify raising our property taxes based on Silicon Valley income tax. A home located in Peregrine or Briargate that sells here for $500,000 might sell for $1.5 million in Silicon Valley. Their tax rate is 1.5% of the value of the home. Why don’t we just compare how our property might be taxed in Silicon Valley or New York City, or even Boston and pay the same dollar amount? In fact, why don’t I just take the gross revenue of my business and send it to the county and city?

Damned budgets and responsibility! Let’s spend spend spend. The government knows the only way out of a recession is to spend your way out of it. Let’s go on an orgy of fiscal irresponsibility and tax the residents even more! Heck the populace can provide us with an unlimited supply of money! UNLIMITED!

In fact, the citizens should be a slave to the state, of course starting at the local level (we want our graft!).

Maybe Doug Bruce isn’t all that wrong after all.

By: M. M. Mills

M. M. Mills — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:53:59 +0000

I’m still voting NO on any property tax increases!!! When the State and County and City learns to live within their budgets like I am forced to — then and only then I might re-consider.

Are any of the departments rewarded for coming in under budget? No….didn’t think so.

NO on any increases!!