Tax Increases—Not Again!
Late this summer, Boulder City Council voted to place two new sales tax-increases on the ballot in November. These increases constitute a new general fund tax and a new open space tax. I believe there are several reasons why voters should not support these new taxes.
Boulder citizens voted down exactly this same tax increase just eight months ago. City Council has simply “repackaged it.” Where I come from this has been called, “Putting lipstick on a pig.” Council claimed voters did not understand what they were voting on, and they are sending it back for another try. Boulder is one of the best-educated communities its size in the country. I think Boulder voters knew exactly what they were voting down and just said no.
What about keeping promises? Four years ago, the City Council asked the voters for a “temporary” tax increase so that it could readjust budget priorities. Even with that temporary increase they have been unable to resolve the projected shortfall. Instead of solving the problem they took the easy way out and asked for another tax increase. With the exception of councilmen Tom Eldridge and Gordon Riggle the City Council has been incapable of acting with fiscal responsibility.
Council dramatically increased many city fees in the past several years—far beyond inflation. For example, in the last four years residents’ water and sewer bills increased by nearly 50%. Planning department fees such as, zoning changes, building and remodeling permits and many other city fees have been increased 50 to 200% or more, with some fee increases exceeding inflation by over 1000%. These fees are some of the highest in the state and seem not to be in line with other comparable cities in the country.
This new general fund tax increase proposal comes at a time when people have experienced medical insurance costs going up as much as 40 to 50% in the last three years. This amounts to thousands of dollars a year for some families. Doubtless, many people in our community are going without any health coverage. Senior citizens are suffering a double hit with the loss of their property tax exemptions, and prescription drug costs that are skyrocketing at several times the rate of inflation. Homeowners and auto insurance is up. Utility costs and fuel costs have and continue to increase. The cost of sending children to college in Colorado has increased $2,000 this year alone.
To help our schools, voters in the last election approved property tax increases by $120 to $150 per average household. With these recent tax increases the average Boulder family will find it hard to give even more of their money to government. In tough times, people make do with less. Shouldn’t government play by the same rules? For the second time in less than a year, please vote no on this tax.
New Open Space Tax
As a supporter of our open space concept, I’ve always supported its funding at the ballot box. I applaud the vision and leadership of those that built this legacy. However, there comes a time for readjusting priorities and that time has come for open space. When is enough, enough? The city now owns 40,000 acres of open space and the county owns over 80,000 acres. Like many I would like to acquire more, but at what cost? When is the cost too high? In the current economic climate I think the cost is now unjustifiable, at least for the short term.
Most people are unaware that one in five (22.5%) of all sales tax dollars collected today goes to fund open space. Under this new open space sales tax increase proposal, more than one in every four sales tax dollars (27% of all sales taxes collected) could be used ONLY for open space. In the current budget crisis and shortage of sales tax revenue that threatens the cutting of basic services, how can the city justify allocating an even greater percentage of its limited sales tax dollars for the exclusive use of funding more open space?
Buy more open space lands right now—in Jefferson County?
Many of our open space assets are in disrepair. If the city can’t maintain what it owns now, it shouldn’t buy more until budget circumstances improve. Additional open space money should come from the general fund, not from a third open space tax. 18 million dollars are collected each year from the two open space taxes currently imposed.
Another reason I cannot support this particular open space tax is because a large part of it is targeted to buy land in Jefferson County. I am philosophically opposed to using city tax dollars to buy land in another county. (The lands under consideration aren’t even contiguous with Boulder County, or near the city.)
Even if the city buys no new open space land in the near future, the rural lands surrounding the city are not under threat of dense development. Zoning laws and BVCP agreements prevent lands now zoned agricultural from being rezoned without city or county approval. The worst that could happen is one house per 35 acres, hardly suburban sprawl.
This does not mean that citizens are turning away from open space! If we elect people to City Council who are willing to make hard choices now, Boulder’s economy may begin growing again. The way to raise money needed for open space is by improving our business and retail environment. The city should seek out, encourage and aggressively pursue establishments that offer citizens more opportunities to shop locally at competitive prices. Too much sales tax revenue is leaving Boulder and going down the highway.
Many of the reasons I’ve cited for opposing the general fund tax increase also apply to this tax increase. At this time, in these current economic conditions, citizens cannot afford pay higher and higher taxes. This is the worst possible message to send to businesses and consumers who pay sales tax in Boulder. Boulder doesn’t need even more businesses and shoppers making that trip down the road.
18 million dollars are collected each year from the two open space taxes currently imposed.