Letter to the Editor/ Governor Polis from Prowers County Commissioners

Board of County Commissioners Prowers County

December 6, 2023
Governor Jared Polis
200 E. Colfax Avenue Denver, Colorado 80203

Dear Governor Polis:

The Board of County Commissioners of Prowers County would like to take this opportunity to share our concerns about your call to local governments to lower property taxes. As you are aware, rural Colorado faces different challenges as compared to the Denver-Metro area. Additionally, not all rural areas of the state are the same. The challenges on the Eastern Plains are different than the Western Slope or rural resort communities.

Our constituents live here because they love living in a less populated area of the state. While property taxes have increased dramatically on the Front Range and in other areas of Colorado, we have not seen such increases in Prowers County. We manage our budget to be fiscally responsible while providing essential services, such as transportation, infrastructure and public safety, to our people. We are not in a position to lower our mill levy without cutting essential services.

The state, including you, Mr. Governor, had the chance to lower property taxes throughout Colorado, for our shared constituents. You should have listened to the voices of the people when they overwhelmingly voted “No” on Proposition HH and delivered real solutions that help. families in Prowers County. We are beyond disappointed that the special session offered little tax relief and no bipartisanship since we all know that property tax is not a partisan issue. As we work to find a way to fund essential services with limited resources in our small, rural county for next year, we hope that you will give serious consideration to the impacts of your policies on our residents. Not all of Colorado is the same and local governments must be treated as partners in finding long-term solutions that positively impact our people in all parts of the state. The people of Prowers County deserve better and we will always advocate for their interests.

Sincerely,

Board of County Commissioners for Prowers County, Colorado:
Ron Cook – Chairman
Tom Grasmick
Wendy Buxton-Andrade