I live on parcel of land contiguous to the city of Steamboat Springs. I am on city water and sewer, but I'm technically in Routt County. Lucky for me; because, when I built my home five years ago, I paid much less in tap fees to Routt County than I would have had my home been located in the city of Steamboat Springs. So, when the city eventually votes in a property tax (how long can we really survive on a sales tax alone?), they will also get nothing from me. The price I pay for not living in the city? No vote in city council elections, and believe me, I'd love to vote in this one. So, how does this relate back to Steamboat 700? Simple: if we do not annex that property, multiply my situation by hundreds, if not thousands of new residents. Because eventually someone will buy the land, and parcel it out in some easier fashion, with much less if any affordable/attainable housing. Since it will be outside city limits, what will Steamboat get for its growing pains? Likely nothing: not a widening of US40 to 4 lanes at no cost to taxpayers, not a new school, fire station, water/sewer treatment facility, parks & rec maintenance facility, not new ballfields, miles of new public trails and parks, maybe nothing public at all. Think Maribou. Make sense? An annexation vote enables planners and developers to keep visioning for our continued measured, carefully planned economic growth. If the economy eventually recovers, then each part of the development will go through the approval process. If patterns over the last several decades hold, we'll continue to see the values of existing homes in Old Town and the mountain go up, meaning more of us will sell as our property taxes become unaffordable for us as retirees; thus, more of us will be looking for "affordable" or "attainable" housing. Where? I don't want to commute to Stagecoach, Oak Creek, Hayden or Craig. I'd like to sell my home near town for a nice profit to help fund my kids' college, and move to a slightly more affordable smaller home in a close-in community accessible by bus or bike. Without this annexation, I can count on my taxes eventually being raised to pay for a government-funded widening of US40, another bond measure to pay for what's already a much-needed school on the west end, a police/fire station there, and I still won't have a solution to the bottleneck of traffic at 13th. That's a problem "can" that's been kicked down the road by every council over the last 30 years. Hey folks, it's not a priority for the state (which sees it as a local issue); and, obviously, not for city government, so who's going to pay for the fix? I wouldn't bet on the city or county, who are slashing budgets everywhere they can.
If Jim Engelken had truly been interested in creating affordable housing, he could have led that effort during his last term on the city council (when land was still available within current city limits, and affordably). RALF achieved very little as compared with the current YV Housing Authority, which actually understands that partnering the public and private sectors is critical to successfully building a variety of community housing. Sadly, Jim wants another term, at a time when his no-growth agenda would only bring us ever-closer to being Aspen...a community of the wealthy, with the vast majority of middle class commuting in long distances to work. Our very character is at stake here folks. Tired old approaches won't take us boldly into the future.
You currently have a traffic bottleneck west of 13th street, and no governmental agency has any funds to fix it. You have a private developer agreeing to pay for 20% of the cost, to pay for ALL of the widening to 4 lanes of US40 west of town, as well as to pay for half a new school the west side has needed for years (have you seen how maxed out our present schools all are?), all of a new fire station, a new public works and parks department maintenance facility--worth $140 million all told--that's with NO government dollars. Your local government hasn't had the courage to act to fix these issues via new taxes or general fund expenditures when times were flush, now we have a private partner who isn't even asking for any tax credits, much less city-paid-for water or sewer lines (those are the kinds of things city's who "partner" with developers on affordable housing offer in many other communities). This is a no brainer. Unless you want to see Steamboat go the way of Aspen...which I don't, or I'd have moved there instead of Steamboat 11 years ago. I saw a town of real, working families who cared about eachother, and who didn't think long commutes to neighboring towns were environmentally sound. You've got a for-real partner here to help you protect the community character we so enjoy here. And they're actually asking for nothing from the city (not tax breaks, not free infrastructure, not risk assumption)-only a vote from our city council to approve their annexation.
Don't miss this amazing ensemble of musical talent! 8 p.m. Sat. and 3 p.m. Sunday at the log church on the south end of town...Steamboat Christian Center. Heck, you even get to say you performed with the SSO...if you sing along at the end of the concert!!
J Michael Turner: Don't insult us
I live on parcel of land contiguous to the city of Steamboat Springs. I am on city water and sewer, but I'm technically in Routt County. Lucky for me; because, when I built my home five years ago, I paid much less in tap fees to Routt County than I would have had my home been located in the city of Steamboat Springs. So, when the city eventually votes in a property tax (how long can we really survive on a sales tax alone?), they will also get nothing from me. The price I pay for not living in the city? No vote in city council elections, and believe me, I'd love to vote in this one.
So, how does this relate back to Steamboat 700? Simple: if we do not annex that property, multiply my situation by hundreds, if not thousands of new residents. Because eventually someone will buy the land, and parcel it out in some easier fashion, with much less if any affordable/attainable housing. Since it will be outside city limits, what will Steamboat get for its growing pains?
Likely nothing: not a widening of US40 to 4 lanes at no cost to taxpayers, not a new school, fire station, water/sewer treatment facility, parks & rec maintenance facility, not new ballfields, miles of new public trails and parks, maybe nothing public at all. Think Maribou. Make sense?
An annexation vote enables planners and developers to keep visioning for our continued measured, carefully planned economic growth. If the economy eventually recovers, then each part of the development will go through the approval process. If patterns over the last several decades hold, we'll continue to see the values of existing homes in Old Town and the mountain go up, meaning more of us will sell as our property taxes become unaffordable for us as retirees; thus, more of us will be looking for "affordable" or "attainable" housing. Where? I don't want to commute to Stagecoach, Oak Creek, Hayden or Craig. I'd like to sell my home near town for a nice profit to help fund my kids' college, and move to a slightly more affordable smaller home in a close-in community accessible by bus or bike.
Without this annexation, I can count on my taxes eventually being raised to pay for a government-funded widening of US40, another bond measure to pay for what's already a much-needed school on the west end, a police/fire station there, and I still won't have a solution to the bottleneck of traffic at 13th. That's a problem "can" that's been kicked down the road by every council over the last 30 years. Hey folks, it's not a priority for the state (which sees it as a local issue); and, obviously, not for city government, so who's going to pay for the fix? I wouldn't bet on the city or county, who are slashing budgets everywhere they can.
October 12, 2009 at 11:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Engelken supports more open space, less growth
If Jim Engelken had truly been interested in creating affordable housing, he could have led that effort during his last term on the city council (when land was still available within current city limits, and affordably). RALF achieved very little as compared with the current YV Housing Authority, which actually understands that partnering the public and private sectors is critical to successfully building a variety of community housing. Sadly, Jim wants another term, at a time when his no-growth agenda would only bring us ever-closer to being Aspen...a community of the wealthy, with the vast majority of middle class commuting in long distances to work. Our very character is at stake here folks. Tired old approaches won't take us boldly into the future.
October 12, 2009 at 8:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Calls for vote on 700 continue
You currently have a traffic bottleneck west of 13th street, and no governmental agency has any funds to fix it. You have a private developer agreeing to pay for 20% of the cost, to pay for ALL of the widening to 4 lanes of US40 west of town, as well as to pay for half a new school the west side has needed for years (have you seen how maxed out our present schools all are?), all of a new fire station, a new public works and parks department maintenance facility--worth $140 million all told--that's with NO government dollars. Your local government hasn't had the courage to act to fix these issues via new taxes or general fund expenditures when times were flush, now we have a private partner who isn't even asking for any tax credits, much less city-paid-for water or sewer lines (those are the kinds of things city's who "partner" with developers on affordable housing offer in many other communities). This is a no brainer. Unless you want to see Steamboat go the way of Aspen...which I don't, or I'd have moved there instead of Steamboat 11 years ago. I saw a town of real, working families who cared about eachother, and who didn't think long commutes to neighboring towns were environmentally sound. You've got a for-real partner here to help you protect the community character we so enjoy here. And they're actually asking for nothing from the city (not tax breaks, not free infrastructure, not risk assumption)-only a vote from our city council to approve their annexation.
September 30, 2009 at 9:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Orchestra concert spotlights 4 soloists
Don't miss this amazing ensemble of musical talent! 8 p.m. Sat. and 3 p.m. Sunday at the log church on the south end of town...Steamboat Christian Center. Heck, you even get to say you performed with the SSO...if you sing along at the end of the concert!!
December 5, 2008 at 8:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )