Woodland Park Sign Ordinance – Balancing Property Rights & First Amendment Rights -
Woodland Park’s long awaited sign ordinance is coming before City Council on March 4 and will be set for a public hearing on March 18. Property rights are precious and must be carefully guarded. While many of us would love to preserve our view, our corridor and our town (according to our own personal desires), we must take care not to disregard or trample upon the rights of others. While the courts have regarded regulation of signs and zoning as necessary so long as they serve legitimate public interests, to preserve someone’s view at someone else’s expense or disallow most or all of the use of owner’s property can amount to a ‘taking’ of property, something that is prohibited by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. We must regulate carefully.
Click here to read more===> Woodland Park Sign Ordinance – Balancing Property Rights & First Amendment Rights
Saying No to Fees for Recreational Facilities Use -
At Thursday’s City Council meeting (1/21/10), Woodland Park city management proposed the implementation of fees for the use of WP’s recreational facilities, including ball fields, picnic areas, tennis courts, and the ice rink. City management stated that it could provide better service to the public, and reported that citizens had asked why WP doesn’t impose fees, which are commonplace in other communities.
In seeking to understand why city fees for use of WP public facilities were necessary, I asked how this fee structure compared to the previous fee structure, how much revenue would be raised by fees, what would we be accomplished, and why they felt we needed to charge fees at this time. Another councilmember asked how fees would be enforced and whether it would impact the availability of the facilities to the general public…
Click here to read more===> Saying No to Fees for Recreational Facilities Use
Sales Tax Holiday -
At the June 4, 2009 City Council meeting, I introduced the idea of an annual City sales tax holiday to be held the first or second weekend in August. Several states, among which are Missouri[1], South Carolina[2], North Carolina[3], and Texas[4], have granted their shoppers a sales tax break that has helped families with school shopping each year.
Sales tax holidays, like other tax cuts, can stimulate spending, since paying less tax can increase disposable income. Our objective is to increase spending in our community and, a sales tax holiday would not only encourage our residents to buy local, but would bring in people from surrounding counties.
Click here to read more===> Proposed Sales Tax Holiday for Woodland Park
Click here to read the Mountain Jackpot article===> Woodland’s Tax Free Weekend Hits Major Stumbling Block
[1] Section 144.049, RSMo, establishes a sales tax holiday during a three-day period beginning at 12:01 a.m. on the first Friday in August and ending at midnight on the Sunday following. Certain back-to-school purchases, such as clothing, school supplies, computers, and other items as defined by the statute, are exempt from sales tax for this time period only.
[2] Code Section 12-36-2120(57) establishes a sales tax holiday for sales during a period beginning 12:01 a.m. on the first Friday in August and ending at twelve midnight the following Sunday and exempts: (i) clothing; (ii) clothing accessories including, but not limited to, hats, scarves, hosiery, and handbags; (iii) footwear; (iv) school supplies including, but not limited to, pens, pencils, paper, binders, notebooks, books, bookbags, lunchboxes, and calculators; (v) computers, printers and printer supplies, and computer software; (vi) bath wash clothes, blankets, bed spreads, bed linens, sheet sets, comforter sets, bath towels, shower curtains, bath rugs and mats, pillows, and pillow cases.
[3] G.S. 105-164.13C establishes a sales tax holiday for sales between 12:01 A.M. on the first Friday in August and 11:59 P.M. the following Sunday. Included are clothing, footwear, and school supplies of $100 or less per item; school instructional materials of $300 or less per item; sports and recreation equipment of $50 or less per item, computers of $3,500 or less per item; and computer supplies of $250 or less per item will be exempt.
[4] Texas law exempts most clothing and footwear priced under $100 from sales and use taxes. Backpacks under $100 and used by elementary and secondary students are also exempt. School Supplies were included in 2009.
Woodland Park 13.9% Water Rate Increase -
On December 3, 2009 City Council voted to increase water rates by 13.9%. Council was presented with three rate increase options and, voted 6-1 to accept the highest proposed rate.
I voted against this proposal. I believe that choosing the highest proposed rate increase in this economic climate sends a bad message to our community. At a time when many of our residents are struggling to make ends meet, some are losing or have lost their homes and jobs, and others are seeing reduced pay and hours, they are facing increases in the costs of electricity, gas, fees and taxes, and other expenses , as the cost of doing business is passed on to the consumer. All of the incremental increases result in larger budget increases for residents…
Click here to read more===> Woodland Park 13.9% Water Rate Increase – 12/03/09
Black Hills Compressor Site -
The City Council’s 6-1 decision to deny Black Hills a conditional use permit for its gas compressor highlights the dilemma with which public officials are faced when making decisions where values conflict. These decisions are never easy as there are fairness, equity, and justice issues on both sides.
Many years ago I took a public policy course at UCCS at which the dilemma of decision-making in the face of conflicting values was discussed. We considered the case of a proposed service center for homeless and at-risk citizens. The proponents of the service center chose a location in a residential neighborhood and, as you can guess, many residents objected to that location. Obviously, opinions and emotions ran high. Many of us will recall that the same conflicting values and opinions were evident at the Woodland Park Wal-Mart public hearings. Issues involving property rights often take conflicting ethical directions, as the rights of property owners are often at odds with the rights or desires of neighbors and other residents. Each of these cases had similar arguments of aesthetics, safety, compatibility, and need. Many times there are no clear ways to resolve conflicts and disagreements, even in attempts to compromise…
Click here to read more===> Letter to Mountain Jackpot 11/17/09 & Pikes Peak Courier View 11/25/09
Woodland Park YMCA -
On July 16, 2009, Woodland Park City Council was asked to approve placing a sales tax increase ballot issue before the voters of Woodland Park for the purpose of funding a portion of the construction costs of a recreational facility.
While I am very much in favor of having a public recreation facility in Woodland Park, whether an aquatic center or an activity/aquatic center, I am not in favor of a sales tax increase at this time. Recent elections in neighboring cities have shown that proposing a tax increase during an unprecedented downturn is not a good idea.
At the council meeting, I voted against putting the issue on the ballot. Monthly sales tax revenues for 2009 have been declining. We are in uncertain times and, it is crucial that we know that our sales tax base is stable before committing to an expenditure that could leave the citizens of Woodland Park on the hook for making up the difference. We simply must have sales tax revenue figures for an additional one year at a minimum.
Click here to read more ===> “YMCA Sales Tax Ballot Initiative”
Conservation Easements -
Since I joined Council in April 2008, two matters involving the donation of Conservation Easements have come before City Council. I voted AGAINST the City’s taking ownership of and responsibility for these Easements.
A Little Information about Conservation Easements
Conservation Easements are a great vehicle for protecting land from development and uses that would otherwise affect or destroy a scenic view, natural resources, or wildlife habitat. They also provide farmers and ranchers opportunities for preserving property in perpetuity and are a means to derive income or offset taxes with credits.
Landowners create conservation easements by placing restrictions on the uses of their land in perpetuity by written agreement. The agreement details the restrictions and should, but doesn’t always, provide for a means of enforcement. The easement must be conveyed to an approved entity, such as a land trust, a conservation organization, or certain governmental entities…
Click here to read more ===> “Conservation Easements”
