By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project
Heads up El Paso County: you’ve got a tax to vote on in November and I believe you can speak up about it in your local Grey Book!
Per the Tribune article linked at bottom, El Paso County Commissioners approved a ballot measure to extend a sales tax whose proceeds go to help fund the sheriff’s office.
The tax originally started in 2012 and has been extended a few times since. In its current iteration, it is slated to end in 2029, but commissioners approved a ballot measure which would extend it to 2037.
If you live in El Paso County, take a minute to carefully review the ballot measure. There were a couple things in the article that would have raised an eyebrow for me if I were voting on it. Quoting:
“Current language gives the Sheriff’s Office wide latitude for the funding’s use, from hiring staff to buying new vehicles to operating the county jail. The newest version would make one change, omitting a special advisory group to track collection and the use of the tax money. Instead, the county commissioners would fill that role.”
I am not a huge fan of the wide latitude (though voters seem okay with it so far because it’s not new), and I’m not so sure about the advisory group being disbanded. Not knocking the commissioners here, but we are all finite beings and for a county like El Paso, I’m guessing the commissioners have plenty on their plates.
If you live in El Paso County, and have thoughts on this, please feel free to add them to the comments. Can I offer a suggestion, however?
Comments here are great, but a better way to use your time is to add your thoughts (pro or con) to your county’s Grey Book, the local equivalent of the state’s Blue Book on voter issues. I wrote a guide a couple years back on how to do that. It’s in the second link below. Take careful note of the deadlines and/or contact your El Paso County Clerk to ask about dates (that’s what I did here in Logan for mine).
If you choose to write something for your Grey Book and feel brave enough, send it to me. I’d love to put it up as an example of being involved.
READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT COLORADO ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT
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