Comments on: 2 issues: 1 easy, 1 not so much

By: Trevor Dierdorff

Trevor Dierdorff — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:05:51 +0000

For the G, the Indy and the CSBJ to agree on something is unprecedented! There must be something worthwhile in this. We are talking about $4 per week (in 2014) to maintain critical services and the amenities that define our high quality of life here. If we don’t do this we stand to pay in other ways. What do you suppose will happen to your property values if there is a fenced off, run down park in your neighborhood? What will happen to your homeowners insurance when the closest fire station is closed to meet budget? How will we attract more people and businesses to Colorado Springs when the reduction in police force will drive up the crime rate? Vote yes on 2C and the community wins.

http://www.cityworthfightingfor.com/

By: Michael Shandrick

Michael Shandrick — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:45:48 +0000

One of the problems with 2C is that it is really not a tax issue. This was a statement from a Council proponent, Jan Martin at a recent talk. “This ballot measure is about choosing what kind of city we want.”, Jan Martin at a recent talk. “This ballot measure is about choosing what kind of city we want.”

While tax reformers, teabaggers, Republicans and fiscal\social conservatives will argue tax abuse, the issue remains: What kind of city do the voters want?

In these difficult economic times, going back to 2006, the city relies upon one source of revenue to fund operations – a sales tax. Given the shifting demographics of the market — aging baby boomers, a major market shift away from bricks and mortar retail to services, as well as odious state and local laws that constrain revenue growth opportunities — the city has few if any options to fund its services. In fact, the city is being punished for its prudence of the past.

Colorado Springs does not have to prove itself as thrifty. The city ranks 48th in the lowest state tax collections of personal income with 4.9%.

Colorado Springs had the 2nd lowest general tax revenue in 2009 budgets among 11 comparable cities; in fact,one-third less.

Per capita tax revenues in the city have grown from 1.3% to 1.6% since 1998.

These examples are hardly the stuff of profligate spending.

The city of Colorado Springs is not sustainable as a revenue structure even at 2009 levels. And all that 2C asks is for voters to approve a ballot measure that would provide revenues at the previous ’09 levels. This begs the question: why ask for so little?

Given the fact of a deteriorating national economy and more dire predictions for worse to come, voters might want to re-frame the 2C debate so that a vote for 2C is a vote for not just whether the city can operate next year, but whether the people here in the region are paying enough in taxes to live here, given the vast city services they may be taking for granted. The 2C issue really does come down to voters choosing what kind of city they want.

By: Larry Dickerson

Larry Dickerson — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:11:50 +0000

Most of the problem with Colorado Springs current situation comes from our own city council and higher management. It was a matter of prestige not a necessity to have the USOC to continued being based here in Colorado Springs and look what it has cost the citizens. The USOC will not stimulate future growth for the city, but to other communities it will only state, “look what we have”.

What city council and higher management has done in budget cuts, staff reductions, service cuts, and notices of possible termination of good workers has underminded the citizens of Colorado Springs. I look at Colorado Springs as a huge tree that needs trimming. We have trimmed a lot of personnel and services from the roots of this tree, leave the roots alone before the tree dies and start trimming from the top.

I hope that 2C passes, and if the measure does pass the citizens of Colorado Springs need to take a more active voice in how city business is accomplished and put a ‘choker chain’ on our current city council and get rid of the higher ‘over paid’ city management.