Ken McLaughlin: County should admit they made errors in funding roads – Boulder Daily Camera.
I was at a county meeting and the assumption that subdivision residents had to pay extra for continued road maintenance was never honestly discussed, but rather explained. That this policy is based on a poor interpretation of policy from the 1995 county comprehensive plan has not been discussed. The basis for the change in policy is that the plan called for directing improvements toward the urban core. Well, these subdivisions are not new as many have been here since the 1960s and these are county, not private, roads. I think it is very likely that the county has simply continued to collect subdivision resident’s property taxes and applied them elsewhere without the need to return to voters for approval for these increased taxes.
While this is a creative approach to governing, it does not respect the rights of county residents and if “our” commissioners had seriously thought about the reasons that we voted down the “option” of voting ourselves a tax increase to avoid having tax liens placed on our properties, they would have understood the frustration, incredulity and rage that many residents feel resulting from the commissioner’s governing by edict approach.
Almost everyone who buys the Boulder County Commissar’s arguments has a memory that starts in 1995 and a belief that the Bolder County Comprehensive Plan is law.
Regarding Ken’s shifting of funds argument, can there be any doubt?
Access Google Docs spreadsheet here.
