Larimer County’s open space tax well-worth extending

It would be almost impossible to drive through the Boulder Valley and up into Northern Colorado without seeing thousands of acres of breathtaking landscapes that have been protected using special open space taxes.

This November, Larimer County is asking voters to extend the county’s open space tax. We encourage you to vote yes on Larimer County Issue 1A, to ensure that stunning vistas, like Horsetooth Mountain Open Space and the Red Mountain Ranch, can be purchased and maintained for everyone today and into the future.

The measure is not a new tax but an extension of the existing ¼ of 1 percent sales tax. Among many factors that make this tax noteworthy and deserving of support is that the open space program distributes 50 percent of the tax proceeds to the cities and towns within Larimer County, based on their populations.

Land is purchased only from willing sellers. And for every $1 the county spends, it receives $1.73 in matching resources from such agencies as Great Outdoors Colorado, the statewide agency funded by lottery proceeds that is charged with helping communities protect important natural areas and other historic lands and ranches.

Decades ago, open space taxes were viewed with skepticism by business people, who worried about rising tax burdens and diminishing returns.

But any company who recruits employees from out-of-state knows the value of driving people up from Denver International Airport and allowing their passengers to see first-hand the legacy view corridors that define Northern Colorado and the entire state.

Taking prospective employees and customers on mountain bike rides and hikes is an even more powerful corporate tool. And the solace and reprieve these lands provide all of us in our fast-paced, loud existence, offer perhaps the best reasons of all vote to ‘yes’ on Issue 1A.

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