The Town of Estes Park decided recently to get on the publicly supported bandwagon and support Home Rule. As you surely know, from the Mayor to his fellow mouthpieces, including Randy Repola, they have fought Home Rule for years. In fact, they campaigned on the idea that Home Rule wasn't needed. After all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it was there mantra. It seems that now that there is a public outcry for Home Rule (Where a community writes there own charter and gains a good deal of local control) they have decided to make public comments in favor of changing our status from Statutory to Home Rule.
Briefly, the effects should be that the Town becomes responsible for spending money, publish salaries, actually allow the citizens to vote on major expenditures, etc. There could be special taxing districts created, for example a lodging tax that would allow the Town to tax hotel/motel guests. Time will tell, but those should be a goal.
One thing you should all be careful of is to watch that the Town not to strongly try to influence the charter process. Let's find good capable citizens to be a part of the charter committee. The Town shouldn't have more than one or two of their employees/officials on the committee. We know what their agenda is, it is time to have our agenda heard.
