Dear Gilpin neighbors,

Let’s do math.

1: Some people think that the casinos should pay for the Gilpin Community Center. Ballot issue 1A ensures that everyone will pay a share of the cost for Parks & Recreation but commercial (including casinos) will provide about 61% of the total revenue while residential home owners will contribute about 22%.

Plus 2: Some say that the “county” should fund Parks & Recreation from the general fund. That general fund comes from a property tax that is one of the lowest in the state and has not been increased to keep up with new mandated services, demands on the sheriff’s office, inflation and needed facility maintenance. Revenue from gaming helps cover these costs but varies widely year to year and cannot be counted on to provide stable funding for non-mandated services like Parks & Recreation.

Plus 3: The proposed 2.57 mill levy replaces one of the same amounts that we are already paying. It will cost property owners about $17.39 per $100,000 of property valuation. A property with valuation of $700,000 still pays only $121 a YEAR!!! A small amount that multiplies many times over for our community.

For me, this all adds up to a “YES” vote on 1A.

Karen Eye

Gilpin County