ArvadaforAllthePeople

How Much Tax Burden Can Arvada Bear?

Is city council failure to keep Arvada's streets maintained going to mean higher taxes?

By Cindi Kreutzer

If you have had a chance to look through your April/May 2016 issue of the Arvada Report, you have seen the article regarding the declining condition of Arvada streets (Arvada Report - Streets).

There were a couple of points that were not mentioned in the article.

First, during the most recent Citizens Capital Improvement Project Committee, we were told by city staff that even if adequate funding were available, it would take several years to make a significant dent in the necessary repairs because these types of projects require city employees functioning as Project Managers to oversee the contractors performing the work. In addition, it would have a very negative effect on traffic if too many projects were being done at the same time.

Second, in the final paragraph of the article it says:

“Arvada City Council is studying various alternatives to deal with our steadily deteriorating streets”.

What is not mentioned is that just a few weeks ago in a City Council Workshop there was a discussion that city staff and council are seriously considering the possibility of making this a ballot issue in November, 2016 by asking for a .5% hike in city sales tax to pay for street maintenance. The result of such an increase would make Arvada the highest city sales tax rate at 3.96% of all of the 11 cities in Colorado with a population over 100,000. There are a few smaller cities with higher city tax rates but they are not included in the following chart because more population means more “buying power”. It stands to reason that larger cities get better pricing per unit on many goods and services, thereby reducing the per capita revenue required to manage the city.

Is an increase in city sales tax how we should pay for street maintenance?

Or is it possible to better manage the city’s general fund?

Finally, with our streets allowed to deteriorate to this point, should we be pursuing more major high density housing and population growth that will only add to the traffic and damage the streets at a faster pace? Consider in particular the growth that comes at the behest of RTD with Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in the city's already most congested area around I-70 and Wadsworth Bypass.

Once again, Walmart comes to mind. Walmart will generate sales tax revenue to pay for some of the street maintenance, right? Wrong. The city will not be receiving any of the sales tax from Walmart for an estimated 7 to 12 years. In the meantime, it will generate an increase in traffic and the necessity for large delivery trucks which will mean more damage to the streets.

Abolishing Urban Renewal - Littleton Makes Progress

In Arvada the Urban Renewal Authority (AURA) is not about 'renewing' genuinely blighted and unmarketable sites ... it is about using the power of government and the dollars of taxpayers to make development deals. In Arvada, AURA is all about manipulation of the free market by government for the private profit of special developers and the advancement of certain insider politicians and bureaucrats; it is crony capitalism plain and simple.

And it is unaccountable government -- you have no voice in these deals -- all of the arrangements are made in secret Urban Renewal Authority meetings. By the time these deals get to the city council for final approval, the deal is done.

Arvada Urban Renewal has ceded $6 million in sales tax revenue for the Walmart Supercenter at Ralston and Independence; it made a sweetheart land deal with Hilton; it gave-up millions of dollars for the traffic-congesting-inducing Solana apartment complex at 57th Avenue and Wadsworth Bypass; it subsidized the fugly apartment building at Ralston and Wadsworth; it is planning to displace and/or drive out thriving small businesses in the Arvada Square; etc. etc. etc.

Littleton is moving in the direction of more free enterprise and more accountability for the citizens and residents. They've got the right idea.

Littleton to consider abolishing its urban renewal authority | Denver Post; April 4, 2016

The Littleton City Council will consider Tuesday whether to dismantle its beleaguered urban renewal authority after 36 years.

The authority, which saw its power severely restricted last year after residents passed a ballot measure requiring any urban renewal activity to first get approval of voters, oversees four areas that the city is trying to redevelop.

Those four plans would be abolished if the measure is passed.