Viewpoint: A Pat on the Back for Town of Rye and Colorado City Metro

?Both the Town of Rye and the Colorado City Metro District (CCMD)deserve a pat on the back for some solid governmental leadership.

?In ballot measure 6A the Metro District is asking voters for the right to keep somewhere in the vicinity of $160,000, which primarily came from the golf course and the campground, to spend on projects to improve the district.

?If the voters do not see fit to approve the measure, 15,000 property owners will get credits on their property taxes.?If you own a vacant lot without water and sewer you might see a fifty-cent reduction on your property tax bill.?

?If you own an improved lot with a significant valuation, you may see a $20-$30 reduction on your property taxes.?The average reduction would be $160,000 divided by 15,000, or $10.67.

?There are two primary reasons to let the Metro District keep the money.?The district has significant needs in their infrastructure, which is a continual battle for a small governmental unit like CCMD.?And, most of the accumulated money came from outside the community via recreational pursuits in the area:?Hollydot and the campground.

?Pueblo County did this in 2016 and used the money for recreational opportunities in the entire county.?The Town of Rye (see story on p. 3) is benefiting with a new archery range and, soon, a frisbee golf course in Rye Mountain Park.?Volunteers for Community benefited from those same 1A funds.?And, of course, it doesn’t increase taxes one single cent.?CCMD will spend the money to benefit Colorado City water, sewer and recreation.

?Meanwhile, the Town of Rye is in the midst of passing a comprehensive ordinance that can’t help but improve that community. Ordinance 2021-3 titled the Rye Public Nuisance Ordinance attacks a multitude of problems that haunt (Halloween pun intended) communities of every size and reduce the quality of life.

?Mayor Marty Rahl and board members Mayor Pro-Tem Sheila Henderson, Marcus Buck, Patrick Ryan, Larry Sisk, Sandra Steele, and Levi Bernal address junk vehicles, junkyards, dumping grounds, weed and grass control, noxious weeds, dead and diseased trees and shrubs, overhanding trees in public right of ways, vandalism, disturbing the peace, discharge of noxious liquids, grease, sewer inlets, rodents and other animals and wildlife and stagnant ponds in this ordinance, scheduled for its second reading at the November meeting and approval at the December meeting.

?According to Mayor Rahl the community is encouraged to attend the meetings and give the Town of Rye feedback on the ordinance which has been in the works for six months.

?Rahl said that the board had noticed an increasing problem with safety and health concerns in the Town in addition to eye sores and, as a group, they decided to do something about it.

?Contact with the board attorney produced an extremely lengthy document that the board members have been reviewing and paring down into a document that Rahl and her board felt was “right for the Town of Rye.”

?There is a several pronged enforcement component to the resolution, which can include the Pueblo County Sheriff, the Pueblo County Health Department and liens on property if issues go unresolved.

?The feeling is a unified board doing their best to improve their community.?

??Contrast that with the Colorado City Metro District where attempts to enforce covenants come under constant efforts to confuse, belabor, and remove effectiveness.??The constant road blocks come from one board member who pays lip service to the covenants but blocks progress at every opportunity.?There doesn’t seem to be any reason why, but who knows.?The result is things aren’t getting any better and the reason rests squarely, in my opinion, on one set of shoulders.

?Town of Rye Board, well done.?Seven of you have put the community ahead of ego.?Not an easy thing to do, so it seems.