Fair warning, you must be an adult to read further, you must have at least one year of college to begin to understand what is being addressed here.
The town’s “Fire Fee” is the absolute limit for this Estes Parkian. We abhor the way our little town is managed, this is one more example of the divisive negative “up your nose with a rubber hose politics,” Estes Park is famous for.
GIVE US THE MONEY (forget about better or improved service)
An elected town board has only one way of speaking and that is through ordinance, every thing else is political garble. The nonsense that is published by Estes Pravda and the gibberish that is printed as explanations for…the criminal acts perpetrated upon the captives of the Estes Valley. I am speaking to the voice of a town government and that is "the town ordinance" - also known as town law. Trustee’s opinion is just opinion no more no less.
Town ordinance (town law) mandates the funding of a fire department in Estes Park. The town has only one employee in the fire department, they do pay for some gas and some equipment costs as well, which minimally impacts the town’s adequate budget.
The town’s “Fire Fee” is the absolute limit for this Estes Parkian. We abhor the way our little town is managed, this is one more example of the divisive negative “up your nose with a rubber hose politics,” Estes Park is famous for.
GIVE US THE MONEY (forget about better or improved service)
An elected town board has only one way of speaking and that is through ordinance, every thing else is political garble. The nonsense that is published by Estes Pravda and the gibberish that is printed as explanations for…the criminal acts perpetrated upon the captives of the Estes Valley. I am speaking to the voice of a town government and that is "the town ordinance" - also known as town law. Trustee’s opinion is just opinion no more no less.
Town ordinance (town law) mandates the funding of a fire department in Estes Park. The town has only one employee in the fire department, they do pay for some gas and some equipment costs as well, which minimally impacts the town’s adequate budget.
The Visitors Center and the advertising and marketing budget, on the other hand, is not supported by town ordinance (town law) and it appears to violate State Law as well. Yet the town hired six full time employees, and it is anyone’s guess how many part time contracted individuals (in excess of $320,000.00 in full time salaries alone - not including benefits - for a task that is at best three months of questionable productivity) to do what the Chamber did at no cost to the community at large. Why? Equalization… the in-town verses out-of-town divisive tool the trustees used to justify the spending of your sales tax dollars in defiance of state law. Remember all the fights and issues the town created for the Chamber? Then the trustees concocted some income based tax/fee, again they broke the law, and created strife and division within the community. The budget of the visitor’s center…advertising & marketing…buses…and the convention center is an order of magnitude greater than fire protection. Now mind you, we think our volunteers are fantastic, but the point here is one of priorities. Your trustees prefer to be in the “sappy the clown” tourist entertainment business…more than the "protecting our health business"…as the State and local laws mandate.
GIVE US THE MONEY (to hell with laws)
So why do we allow this sophomoric “hick town” madness?
All the money spent on the visitor’s service gesture…benefits only a few businesses, mostly motel owners, primarily the Holiday Inn. In contrast, a full time professional fire department would benefit everyone in the Valley, year around. Priorities people…it is all about adult choices…and priorities.
Twice the trustees have concocted some fire district scheme - that no one wanted and voted down - so now they come back with this silly “fees” nonsense. Some of you folks will actually send them a check that will be deposited into the general fund to buy one more ad in the Readers Digest, booking people into the Holiday Inn.
GIVE US THE MONEY (you elected me so now I am smarter than you are)
Are you seeing the trend here?
They will not follow the law, their own or the State of Colorado’s Law.
The voters do not trust them, in town or out of town.
GIVE US THE MONEY (to hell with everyone else’s needs)
They will not annex you into our town - but they want you to pay the bills - to back a fire department that they are mandated to have, but refuse to finance. The local political perception is our tax money is more wisely spent on print ads in the Readers Digest, than on a fire department. Entice them to come here, but not adequately protect them? Now mind you, if town hall was pulling down a monster bill on a first class - full time - fire department I might be more sympathetic to this greedy money grab, but the way things fly around here…I offer you this advice…Take your $130 dollars and put it into a fire services savings account at Key Bank, do this every year. If the need ever arises the money is there, God forbid. Chances are you will never need it, but at least you have your money. Screw the greedy bastard law breakers… until they start following the law and stop creating ciaos in the valley.
All the issues point to “Town Hall” in origin. GIVE US THE MONEY (or we will make life miserable for you…consequences)
One more question before we sign off. Speaking of laws; one year ago there were several people busted for selling drugs in Estes Park. There were several people involved and they were arrested according to Pravda. Whatever happened to those people? I have never seen a trial and we could find no record of them processing through the system. Did they come back and set up shop, or move on to sell drugs to kids in some other town? Where in the world is Hector Ivan Garcia?
