to the Editor

Arapahoe County is getting ready to pile on Yes, it is true, Arapahoe County is preparing to place a ballot measure on the ballot to De-Bruce the county.

While our voters are currently being manipulated by the state’s Proposition HH ballot language, Arapahoe County wants to get in on the scheme. They want to create some crafty ballot language of their own. That’s what I call “Piling On.”

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights has served Colorado and Arapahoe County Government well for over thirty years. Establishing an adequate governmental budget is all about setting the correct priorities. The only thing that makes this challenging is that sometimes the state and federal governments take our tax dollars and then promise to give some of it back if we follow their priorities.

I know a little something about this subject matter. I served as an Arapahoe County Commissioner for twelve years. Ten of those twelve years I was on the county’s Executive Budget Committee. Prior to that I spent four years on the County’s Citizen’s Budget Committee. (It is my understanding that this committee was eliminated by the Commissioners because they were asking too many tough questions. They were also insisting that tough decisions be made by the Commissioners. Nothing like giving the citizens a voice in the budget process by taking away their microphone.)

I wonder if the Commissioners really thought this issue through. Many citizens are already concerned about their high property assessment values. (A concern not shared by the Governor, or he would call for a special session and lower our assessment ratios.) Many senior citizens are wondering if they can afford their homes going forward. Many young people are wondering if they can afford rent on their apartments going forward. The Arapahoe County Commissioners decided to pile on by making these same people pay higher taxes by raising county property taxes. (I can’t wait for one of the Commissioners to text me explaining that renters don’t pay property taxes. Yes, but the landlords the majority party in the legislature has been abusing over the past five years do pay property taxes. These same landlords will pass this increase onto their renters.)

I was proud in 2016 to leave Arapahoe County in very good financial condition. At the same time, the bond rating agencies raised the county’s bond rating. It took a lot of hard work from my colleagues and myself practicing fiscal responsibility back then. We had a rule of thumb - when our citizens’ personal budgets are being squeezed and they are hurting don’t pile on by raising taxes. Contact the Arapahoe County Commissioners and ask them to re-consider their thoughts about De-Brucing the county.

Rod Bockenfeld is a state legislator who represents eastern Arapahoe County. He previously served three terms as an Arapahoe County Commissioner and currently sits on Colorado’s Joint Budget and House Appropriations Committees. Contact him at rod@bockenfeld.com.