The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
At least three times in the last few weeks, I’ve had the “opportunity” to sit through hours-long events that included lots of dialogue, clashes between opposing factions, community challenges and lots of interesting insights. Each was its own odyssey.
In fact, sitting against the wall, trapped at the end of the aisle during the three-hour film The Odyssey was one of them. Like a trip to the sacred island of Helios, I survived the challenge because I didn’t, in my case, drink anything. By the way, the movie is well worth three hours of your time at the Majestic.
Monday’s CB work session and public hearing over whether the town council should put a second home tax on the upcoming fall ballot was its own odyssey. While not as violent as the movie it did contain some anger, lots of emotion and disagreement, some good arguments, some bad arguments and some distractions. In other words, it was a good representation of local democracy in action.
Councilmembers stated their positions before official public comment and no one changed their mind an iota after hours of public feedback, most of it against the idea of putting such a tax on the fall ballot. Still, as mayor Ian Billick noted, there was a split on the council of about four-and-and-half to two-and-a-half to proceed with the second homeowner tax issue. And they will. Maybe I didn’t totally understand Ian’s comment that community divisiveness wasn’t a factor to consider for him since in these situations some groups will always feel picked on — but it is certainly part of the community journey at the moment.
Details of the ballot language are not yet finalized but what emerges will settle how Crested Butte voters ultimately view the town’s financial situation and who should pay to make it better. Personally, I’m focused on fairness and see the value of spreading the pain out through a small sales tax increase that impacts out-of-towners like me as well as second homeowners and tourists, but I’m not smelling any support for that.
Many in Monday’s crowd charged that the town was fiscally irresponsible and budget cuts should be made before any tax proposed. As the current and projected budget has obviously exploded thanks in part to things like major affordable housing developments, infrastructure projects like a wastewater treatment plant upgrade, an increase to make wages competitive and idealistic concepts like developing a community hub, it is easy to make the bumper sticker claim that ‘cutting the fat’ will be easy. And some things could certainly be more efficient with some budget cuts made without harming core town services.
It did not go unnoticed that when the council agenda item on the “2025 Audited Financial Statement and Review…” came up, the room basically emptied and the Zoom participant count dwindled. As former mayor Jim Schmidt used to say every year when council considered the budget, “This is the most important thing we do all year, and we never get any comment.” That is still true today.
On a similar note – while some citizens felt the council was not listening to their points, the council did open a door to more public budget participation. After most everyone had left the meeting, the council agreed to explore the idea of forming a citizen’s committee to dive into the town finances in an effort for fresh eyes to look at creative ways to perhaps attack increased spending in town.
For those still not satisfied, a better answer might be to run for council a year from now on that platform. Be clear with what specifically should be cut and what town assets sold. That is also how democratic representation works.
One other observation… The council and staff consider the Community Compass its home base, its touchstone. Looking back at the document this week, it’s not clear to me they are following the guiding strategies of the community engagement metrics for such a complicated and complex decision. I think Billick and some councilmembers have gone out to engage second homeowners, non-profit representatives and community members but given the stated tenets of the Community Compass, it doesn’t seem things like “neighborhood meetings, online engagement opportunities such as surveys or idea walls…an advisory committee of stakeholders to collaboratively vet success measures and alternatives that fit within a range of solutions based on stakeholder capabilities and resources…” has been deeply implemented. It’s like the boat Odysseus and his crew sailed lost its course, setting off years of challenging adventure.
The transparent and timely opportunity for public comment is valid and good, and while the Compass has never tripped my trigger, it is always used as the gold standard by town officials for making complex town decisions. Maybe this isn’t considered a complex issue. I think if collaborative stakeholder engagement had happened earlier to perhaps convince some stakeholders of the need for such revenue measures, the issue wouldn’t be as rocky as indicated at the work session. Part of the journey, I guess.
Anyway, the second home tax ballot issue is halfway through its own odyssey and as it is tested and shaped through its journey, we will see what emerges in August and how “fair” the council makes the end result.
Almost two weeks ago the county held a meeting over the Lower Verzuh subdivision proposal that also filled a room and the Zoom channel. That one seemed to last longer than two Odyssey movie showings. It too was a good example of representative democracy working in the sense it actively engaged the community. While no commissioner decision on whether to move the proposal from the sketch plan phase to preliminary plan was made (that could happen next Tuesday), it appears that too could be split among decision makers.
The current proposal includes the solid outline of what I believe could be a very good template for what any project should include at a minimum in terms of community housing. Like Odysseus tied to the ship’s mast as his men plugged their ears with wax and traveled through a dangerous channel filled with irresistible Siren songs, it is easy to be seduced by that one element of the plan. It is a sweet one with for-sale opportunities. But the commissioners need to look at the whole proposal and consider that even workforce housing is major development with major growth ramifications. And even when eating lotus fruit, it’s easy to remember that no resort community has ever built its way out of the affordable housing issue. It all should be put in the context of the comprehensive planning effort for a North Valley corridor plan.
I continue to push the idea that the stakeholders in the corridor planning process should first answer the question of whether the valley wants to remain a small-town community or grow like most other mountain resort communities in exchange for more conveniences and amenities. New developments, including this one, can shape themselves to do either, but it seems to make sense that the corridor plan should first be deeply debated before moving major projects along.
I could argue that if this specific proposal is ultimately given final approval as is, it would seem to take the place of a corridor plan in the North Valley. Basically, the county precedent would be set from Round Mountain north for allowing developments with about one house per acre if they include significant community housing, some open space and parks, trails and a transit stop. I believe the Spanns have about 2,000 acres of similar ranchland property near CB South. Hmmm… The impacts on Crested Butte could end up looking like a sneak attack on Troy as more people surprisingly use its services — but that is where corridor planning is supposed to come in.
Nothing is simple these days. The journeys can be frustrating and challenging. There will be good ideas, bad ideas, friction and clashes between opposing sides. But having the conversation is important. Letting elected officials know your thoughts is important. Seeing the rooms filled and hearing different opinions still gives faith in our small-town community governing process. It all continues to be an odyssey, but the endings for the immediate challenges facing the community have yet to be written. So, keep showing up and be part of the journey.
—Mark Reaman
