Looking at the major, local issues on the Douglas County ballot,
there are some we put our full support behind, an issue or two we
support with caution, and an issue we do not support at all. Taking
them from the top, here are our voting recommendations:

Douglas County Ballot Issue 1A: Yes.

This is a bond package to pay for various road improvement
projects. It is with slight caution that we lend our support to
this proposal.

Many will probably vote against this proposal because they say
it will lead to more growth. This might be true to a degree, but
the growth is slated to occur anyway. If the road improvements
aren’t completed, traffic in parts of Douglas County could
eventually become small versions of Interstate 25 in the Denver
Tech Center.

That said, development in some areas – development approved
before this proposal was even considered – more less necessitates
some of the proposal’s projects. Let this be a lesson in the
future: Perhaps more thought to infrastructure and its costs to
taxpayers should be given to building projects before they are
approved.

Douglas County Ballot Question 1B: No.

There is no legitimate reason to extend the terms of the
county’s elected officials. The supposed “learning curve” cited in
support of this proposal really is much shorter than elected
officials would like us to believe.

Douglas County School District RE-1 3A: Yes.

Without this mill levy override, Douglas County schools will
face cuts that will make the $8-plus-million cuts experienced this
year look like chump change. The district would have to cut $30
million over five years simply to maintain existing services. Where
would the cuts come from? Is that a question we want our children
to answer?

Douglas County Ballot Question 3B: Yes.

The district is still trying to keep pace with growth, as
demonstrated by its use of 91 portable classrooms. Furthermore, the
district likely will grow by 2,000 students a year for the next
five years. These kids need a place to learn, and that’s what this
bond issue will provide – new schools.

The district’s track record on construction bonds is beyond
question.

RTD District – City of Lone Tree Ballot Question 5A:
Yes.

With a yes vote, Lone Tree would become a member of the Regional
Transportation District. Businesses in the city would then charge
the sixth-tenths of a cent sales tax in return for receiving RTD
service.

This is simple, given Lone Tree’s future. The city not only is
slated to grow significantly because of annexations, but thanks to
Sky Ridge Medical Center – and its spin-off economic effects – and
the likely annexation of Park Meadows Town Center, Lone Tree is set
to become the most significant employment center in the county. As
such, it should contribute to and benefit from inclusion in the
area’s only mass-transit system.

Town of Parker Ballot Issue 2A: Yes.

This would establish a lodging tax and exempt revenues generated
by that tax from TABOR limits. The money would be used for myriad
uses such as parks and open space, roads, public safety,
etc.

This is a tax levied on hotel rooms, thus making it a sort of
tourist tax. Yet, residents of the town will be the tax’s
beneficiaries.