No on 2B

The proposed Crested Butte excise tax on “non-primary homes” is not about the money. It’s about the Crested Butte community. Issue 2B is not the right path in the moment for the town to try and generate more revenue for red flags waving on the economic horizon. Despite the claims of some council members, it has been divisive and strained the unique but fraying bonds we are trying to hang onto in Crested Butte compared to other resort towns. As for timing, the 2027 town budget is surprisingly strong with millions of dollars in spendable reserves. Add to that, the citizen’s budget advisory committee enthusiastically appointed by the town council has not had the time to dig in and come up with any recommendations. It would seem to make sense that before approving a new tax that the initial advisory process be allowed to play out.

Town officials seemed to fall into the easy choice of going where the money is to try and deal with increasing costs like the price of healthcare and asphalt and tried to sell it to the voters as an affordability issue. Cost of living is a real issue here, but this tax isn’t about the money. Most of those who own second homes in Crested Butte can probably afford to pay the excise tax that will range between $1,400 and $3,400 a year depending on the size of the unit, but is it the right thing to make them do it?

This is Crested Butte, not Jackson Hole or Telluride. As this place has grown, the idea that we are all equal under the freak flag has dissipated a bit but it’s still there. It is part of who we still are as a community. The waitron or teacher can still find themselves comfortably hanging out with the CEO of a multi-million-dollar company or the retired tech guy who sold his business at 28 years old — and the conversation is probably not about what you do for a living but how good the singletrack was that day or how sweet it was to catch a rope drop. Locals can make fun of the flashy Suburbans stopped on Elk to let out the family and poke the Boulder Insta posts. The second homeowners can make fun of locals screaming at cars going 16 mph to Slow Down! and chuckle at the old hippie attitude where residents want to outlaw gas snowblowers. But we all appreciate the CB vibe, easy access to trails and how the kids can roam free.

Because we are at the end of the road and relatively small, we draw people of a certain ilk. Second homeowners who want to show off their wealth go to Aspen. Those that want to be seen with the power suits go to Vail. If you want to be more anonymous and part of a small-town community, you come here. Yeah, there are some who bring their entitlement to the valley, but they usually don’t last long and frankly, we have all dealt with the entitlement from some ‘locals’ and they also don’t last long. Those that stay, locals or second homeowners, get this place and that still matters.

This community thrives when there is balance between locals, second homeowners and tourists. Each provides different elements to keep the place rolling even when there is some tension. Our instinct is to stand up and work together. 2B is not that.

Most of the people choosing to put down some sort of roots here like what we have and appreciate the values that the locals are not shy about espousing. They are not afraid of the weird. They understand it’s okay to get stuck behind a townie takeover or a cattle drive. They appreciate a small-town vibe and the sophisticated recreation and art scene. They donate to worthy non-profit causes that we all enjoy and need from the Land Trust to the Food Pantry. If 2B passes I doubt that will stop. It’s not about the money. I also know second homeowners that have helped locals start their businesses. I know some make the conscious effort to come into local shops when here and spend money they could otherwise spend online. I know they hand down their stuff to locals when they’re done. They too value this place and consider it a home.

There are more than a few things I think the town fumbled with putting this on the ballot. They tried to frame it a ‘sales tax equalization’ issue which fell flat. They paid $15,000 for a 103-person poll instead of each knocking on 103 doors themselves.

Some on council insist the issue is not divisive, which sounds like the protestations from the irritated half of a couple in therapy for communication problems. When some in town claim they are simply “asking” second homeowners to step up, they are in fact “telling” them to write a check since those impacted cannot vote on the issue.

The council chose to not include exemptions to the tax on the ballot that are expected to be added before the end of the year if 2B passes. The idea of exemptions based on longevity is not settled, so who knows what this tax ultimately actually looks like. And a future council can change the rules again at its majority whim.

I think the council could have more deeply explored the idea of a seasonal sales tax implemented during the busiest months of the year when most tourists and second homeowners are here. That way someone like me who benefits from future capital projects in Crested Butte but lives outside town boundaries would have contributed as well and been happy to since I love this place. The idea of a property tax increase with a potential rebate for qualifying residents (apparently out of the general fund) might have been more appropriate and given all residents some skin in the game.

The community is stronger when we all contribute together.

On paper, the notion of dealing with budget issues on the horizon by tapping into a money stream makes sense. But in practice, this place stays different for a reason, and it is the people — all the people that contribute to unique CB community. Second homeowners in town could live anywhere in the valley and have a bigger house, more land or locked gates if they’d picked a spot outside of CB proper. They instead deliberately chose a little town that accepts them as part of the community until they prove otherwise. To single them out based simply on their bank account seems so much more Jackson Hole or Telluride than Crested Butte.

Passage of this ballot issue would seem to move us closer to being just another typical ‘us vs them’ resort and not a unique small town in the mountains that tries to be inclusive of those who share local values. 2B is not about the money. It seems to me 2B is a move that weakens the human connections of our special and different community. Vote no on 2B.

—Mark Reaman