Voters Must Make an Informed Decision on Brown Ranch
Steamboat Springs, CO – The Routt County Republican Central Committee urges Steamboat Springs city voters to recognize the negative impacts related to the proposed Brown Ranch annexation and development before voting, especially since the Yampa Valley Housing Authority (YVHA) has only presented the benefits at their public meetings and on their website, versus the challenges the project will thrust upon the City taxpayers and commuters. The committee has a robust commentary explaining the challenges on our website Routt County Republicans
Below are some highlights of the anticipated negative impacts:
- Members have expressed concerns about a model that allows private for-profit businesses to enjoy reduced operational labor costs and higher profits because of they rely on contributions from taxpayers. Conveniently, YVHA property will be exempt from property tax.
- Members expressed concern over the lack of inclusion in the vote of county residents who are impacted. A better plan would be to devise a more inclusive process where all residents significantly impacted in community changes have a voice.
- Members find it difficult to understand the reasoning to build the second largest public housing development in America, with a population larger than the town of Breckenridge, in our small town of roughly 15,000 residents. The plan’s additional 6,100 residents will add about 45% to current Steamboat Springs city residents.
- Infrastructure needs to be addressed now, especially for traffic impacts, not as a carrot for the annexation and development to be approved. Traffic patterns must be analyzed for a year, not just the month of April, to truly understand the constraints.
- The City’s Public Works Director stated the city has not developed a plan or the $70M required to resolve the bottleneck at 13th Street.
- Is an anonymous $24 million donation (.05% of $500 million) in the best interest of the citizens of Steamboat Springs for an over $500 million annexation and development, that will impact taxpayers into the future?
- Short-term rental taxes play a financial role with the Brown Ranch development and the future infrastructure costs, not for the benefit of the City, which could use the STR taxes now for infrastructure improvements desperately needed.
Ken Mauldin, a member of the Routt County Republicans, expressed it best when he stated, “We’re blessed in America to have the right to exchange ideas and let elections decide such important matters for our community. The Routt County Republicans encourage everyone eligible to vote in the Brown Ranch annexation election on March 26 to consider the information provided above and cast your vote carefully.”
Heather DeVos, Chair, Routt County Republicans
routtgopchair@gmail.com