Dear Editor:
The Chaffee County Transportation Advisory Board looked at the two transportation-focused measures on the November ballot and sees a clear choice for Chaffee County – Proposition 110.
Proposition 110 will raise $18 billion in tax and bond revenue over the next 20 years for critical transportation projects across Colorado. Counties, like Chaffee, will get 20 percent of those funds for road and bridge improvement projects. Another 20 percent goes to cities, including Buena Vista, Poncha Springs and Salida, for street maintenance.
A new multi-modal fund will get 15 percent to support transit, bike and pedestrian projects. The remaining 45 percent of the funds is for state highways, like U.S. highways 285, 50 and 24, the major transportation arteries of our county. By raising the state sales tax by 0.62 percent, Proposition 110 also gets Colorado tourists to share in the cost of our transportation improvements.
Proposition 109 aims to raise less than one-fifth of the amount of funds, all of it through costly borrowing from the General Fund, and it earmarks 100 percent of the funds for state highways – nothing else.
Chaffee has many transportation assets that need improvements. Our 534 miles of county roads have 59 bridges. The Chaffee Shuttle needs to add transit services for residents and businesses. Our two airports and countless miles of trails support tourism businesses and their related jobs.
Please join us by voting “Yes” for Proposition 110 to strengthen and improve our transportation assets in Chaffee County, and “No” to Proposition 109.
Forrest Whitman
Chair
Chaffee County Transportation Advisory Board
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