NOTICE OF COMMUNITY MEETING
COMMUNITY MEETING REGARDING PROPOSED MILL LEVY TAX -
Next Monday, 8/21/2023, 6-8 p.m. at the Community Center.
YOU will have an opportunity in the second half of the meeting to ask questions or state your opinion regarding this proposed tax that will never end. The first half of the meeting will be 5-minute speeches by county administrators, Carolyn Petersen (GCCC), and our Commissioners, all but one of whom (Marie Mornis) have been working for months to get this tax proposal ready for the November ballot.
I caught a part of the Commissioners’ meeting last week where I watched as our attorney, Brad Benning, described to the commissioners they could avoid calling this a new tax, as it is an “extension” of the mill levy we passed three years ago, which is sunsetting in December. In other words, if we do nothing, this tax expires.
If we approve this tax, it never ends, and increases annually with inflation.
Here is the proposed language, if you’d like to read it before the meeting.
This is not an extension. It is a NEW TAX. The language is definitely NOT THE SAME! The intro fails to address the increase in property assessments (taxes) we will pay in 2024 and on. “Without raising taxes”? Read the “in addition,” “plus,” “in perpetuity” words in the first section. The new language allows for capital improvements to the building, but also can be used to help pay for childcare. Did you know you are paying for childcare? Do you have any idea why the county needs us to pay an EXTRA tax for our County Fair, or even to maintain our Community Center?
For 17 years before Covid shut it down, our Gilpin County taxes built and paid for that recreation center. It was open SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, fully staffed, and twice as many people used it all those years. It is only open to the public five days a week now. We have all the stats regarding costs, salaries, use numbers, etc. we received from the County after our request to compare 2013 to 2023. Click here to view some of the charts that were created from that data.
Gilpin County is in the black. We are a wealthy county, thanks to you, the taxpayer, but also due to the taxes paid by the casinos, which are providing MILLIONS of dollars to our community.
If you care one way or the other about this new tax, let me recommend you contact your Commissioners, and/or attend Monday night's meeting in person, or by Zoom.
The very next morning is the Board of Commissioners meeting at which this item will either live or die. The Commissioners will decide. They can kill this right now, or put it on the ballot! What is your opinion? The Commissioners meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Old Courthouse in Central City, second floor. If you have mobility issues, park behind the building for easier access. You are allowed to speak for three minutes at the beginning and/or end of their meetings. They are on the agenda, Items 6 & 7. It will also be available on Zoom, if you want to connect through the Gilpin County Commissioners website page from home or work.
Thank you for dropping in! We’re shedding light in Gilpin County. Share this light with anyone you think may be interested. Feel free to email us at thegilpinlight@gmail.com if you’d like updates. We will be happy to add you to our email list.
Donna Okray Parman, Founder, The Gilpin Light
Sandy Hollingsworth extension - 11103
Susan Berumen extension - 11102
