State gives nod to GOCO measure

State gives nod to GOCO measure

November 7, 2001

By Jim Mimiaga
Journal Staff Writer

Communities desperate to buy out development rights in order to save coveted natural lands got a boost Tuesday after voters approved expanding lottery coffers for open-space purchases.

With 44 percent of the votes counted, unofficial returns showed 57 percent of voters, or 351,151, in favor of Referendum A. Forty-three percent, or 266,856 voters were opposed, initial results.

The victory for open space gives Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) the authority to borrow money by issuing bonds up to $115 million. Future lottery proceeds will pay off the bonds.

The borrowed money would go to government entities or non-profit organizations seeking to purchase land for parks, conservation easements and wildlife preserves.

GOCO, which in 2000 doled out $40 million in lottery proceeds to parks and recreation projects, cannot acquire land in its own name.

Borrowing against the future to raise funds for open-space buy-outs is seen by supporters as the answer to runaway growth in the state.

Numerous failed attempts by the Colorado Legislature to pass significant growth-control measures led Gov. Bill Owens and naturalist John Fielder to team up and lobby in support of Referendum A.

"It is important for groups to either regulate growth or purchase the open space themselves," said Fielder on Election Night. "This gives communities funding to do that more quickly.

"In light of unwillingness by the Legislature to give us growth control, this is a good alternative," Fielder added.

A growth-control initiative last year, Amendment 24, was resoundingly defeated by state voters. The "one-size-fits-all" growth plan was seen as its major flaw.

"Amendment 24 was not palatable to the people," said Fielder, who helped promote that citizens initiative. "That would have zoned natural areas out of development, while this way does it through land purchase."

GOCO funds have been falling as the economy slips, officials report. That means less money available for community projects wrestling with over-development.

"They have to turn down three times as many requests as they approve," Fielder said, adding that protecting mountain river valleys is especially important because of high-development pressure there.

"Ranchers between Crested Butte and Gunnison are begging for (GOCO) money so they can preserve their ranches forever. There are a lot of good projects that have been missed; now maybe they have a chance," Fielder said.

Opponents of the newly passed GOCO bonding authority saw it as ill-advised due to an unstable economy and the financial dangers of borrowing against predicted lottery revenues. They argued it was not needed because, as the economy slows, so will development and therefore the impact on open space.

The Colorado Union of Taxpayers told The Associated Press that the plan would burden future generations and be a waste of money.

"Buy now, let the kids pay later," said Marty Neilson, head of a group that opposes increased government spending.

GOCO was created by voters in 1992 to help fund parks, including some in Cortez. Since its inception, the agency helped finance 325 miles of new trails, set aside 14,259 acres for new parks and spent $240 million on 1,500 projects.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)