Briefs Crested Butte

More and more and more sales tax
You might not believe this, but town sales tax revenue is up again. In November, the town of Crested Butte saw an increase of 10.5 percent over 2013. For the year, sales tax is up close to 16 percent. Based on the holiday break busyness, we’ll bet that December will be up as well.
And speaking of busy, the cops were—busy during the holiday period. Chief marshal Tom Martin said caseloads were up, traffic was bumper-to-bumper and illegally parked vehicles were (unfortunately) towed.

Mid-timer documentary
Conor Hagen approached the council for support for a documentary film he is making about the transition of the town from a mining community to a ski town. He is focusing on the years 1960 to 1980. His parents, Peter Hagen and Lyn Faulkner, lived here at that time. The council liked the idea.

Building permits start climbing in town
Town building and zoning director Bob Gillie told the council that in 2014 building permits increased 29 percent in number and 15 percent in valuation. He said most of the permits were home remodels, with a big commercial project included in 2014.

Should cops take a bus trip or two?
Councilman and Mountain Express representative Roland Mason told the council he had met with bus drivers and one thing they asked for was that local police consider riding a late-night bus on occasion after special events. The drivers have had to deal with late night issues including breaking up some fights. The thought is that having a marshal on board the bus at times will deter such behavior. Town manager Todd Crossett said he would forward the suggestion to Tom Martin.

Town hires special attorney for water issues
The council agreed to retain a law firm to deal with Crested Butte’s water issues. They will reach out to Scott Miller, who has a firm in Basalt. The town normally keeps such a water expert on retainer but the previous attorney passed away a couple of years ago.