City officials putting plans on hold till after election

City officials putting plans on hold till after election

Sept. 9, 2000

BY MATT GLECKMAN
Journal Staff Writer

The impending threat of Amendment 21 (titled "Tax Cut 2000") — which will be voted on this November — has caused city officials to begin re-evaluating future projects, including a recreation center and road improvements.

Described by Cortez City Manager Hal Shepherd as "mean-spirited," Amendment 21 would reduce each special-district tax bill by $25 for every taxpayer every year — $25 each off fire-protection, sanitation, and mosquito-district bill the first year, $50 the second year, and so on.

This increasing rate of defunding special districts would bankrupt most of them within just a few years, Shepherd said.

As a result, the City of Cortez will wait out the vote before deciding on a number of future expenditures.

Cortez Parks and Recreation Director Chris Burkett said that planning for a Cortez Recreation Center, which received overwhelming local support at a city-council meeting last month, will be put on hold until the outcome of the Amendment 21 vote is determined.

"There is a real concern by council about Amendments 21 and 24," Burkett said.

"If 21 and 24 pass, then the cities and the counties are going to have to take over a lot of these (special districts). They are really concerned about the fire protection districts, etc."

The two amendments were authored by Douglas Bruce, a Colorado Springs lawyer who was a principal backer of the 1992 Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR Amendment.

Bruce believes the state government should pick up the slack using state taxes.

However, state Rep. Mark Larson (R-Cortez) criticized Bruce for making such a claim.

Larson said that the state is limited by strict spending rules under the TABOR Amendment, therefore the special districts’ costs would fall to the local government agencies.

"The county cannot afford to pick up the price of, say, fire protection, without cutting another department like law enforcement," Larson said.

Cortez Mayor Joe Keck said that Amendment 21 could have a major impact on almost any of the city’s capital projects.

"Once these special districts go away, then everybody is going to be knocking on either the city’s door, the county’s door or the state’s door asking them to provide those services," he said.

Shepherd estimated that, if the amendment were to pass, there would be a $300,000 initial impact on the city of Cortez.

Keck said that as a result, projects such as road expansions and other future improvements to the city would have to be reconsidered.

"There would be a major ripple effect," Keck said.

"People are going to need those services and if there is not an entity there to provide it, then they are going to ask the city or the county to pony up and do it," Keck said.

"If you take $300,000 or $400,000 out of the city’s operating budget then you have to get back to really basic services.

"You really have to change your focus — you can’t plan as much for the future or make future investments," said Keck.