Support for 1A

Editor:
I’m writing this letter in support of Ballot Measure 1A because county roads are more than
pavement and gravel—they are the links that hold our community together. They connect families to
schools, workers and customers to local businesses, residents and visitors to recreation, and
emergency responders to the people who need them. Safe, reliable roads are part of what makes
daily life in our county possible. A small 0.05% sales tax is a practical investment in the roads that
keep our county connected.
I know this firsthand from my 24 years working in the Gunnison County Public Works
Department maintaining county roads. As the District Foreman in the Doyleville District

east of town, I saw how budget constraints limited our ability to provide the level of
service our residents deserve. Even with dedicated crews doing the best they could,
limited funding sources meant difficult choices and years of shortfalls. Ballot Measure
1A can help provide the funding needed to begin catching up and improve the roads we
all depend on.
Another important reason to support 1A is that it spreads the cost across the people
who use and benefit from our county roads. Residents, visitors, businesses, recreation
users, and those traveling through the county all rely on these roads in one way or
another. Road maintenance is not funded by property taxes; it depends on revenues
from the Highway Users Tax Fund which has limited sources such as the state gas tax,
which has not kept pace with inflation, and PILT funds—Payment in Lieu of Taxes.
Those revenue sources have not kept up with the rising cost of construction, materials,
equipment, and maintenance. A small sales tax helps share that responsibility more
broadly, rather than placing the burden solely on property owners.
For these reasons, I urge voters to support Ballot Measure 1A. It is a modest, practical
investment in the roads that keep Gunnison County safe, connected, and moving
forward.