Voters give strong thumbs-up to 1A and 1B
Transportation, marketing programs poised to take flight

Gunnison Times - Gunnison, Colorado - November 7, 2002

Gunnison County voters showed strong support at the polls Tuesday for coordinated efforts to jump-start the local economy through relatively small tax increases. Issues 1A and 1B - the creation of a Rural Transportation Authority and Local Marketing District, respectively - each passed convincingly.

Question 1A was approved countywide by 3,247 voters, versus 1,744 no votes - a 65 percent to 35 percent margin. Equally as important to backers of the proposal, the measure passed the muster of what was feared to be a skeptical Gunnison populace. 1A was approved within the city limits of Gunnison, 1,135 to 817.

"We¹re happy people," said Woody Duncan, president of Community Banks in Gunnison and head of the committee formed to pass 1A and 1B. "I feel very good about this margin, and good about all the hard work and hard working people who made it happen."
Question 1B passed with similar ease, garnering 3,268 'yes' votes to 1,888 ballots cast in opposition. This represents roughly a 63 percent to 36-percent breakdown.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2003, a .35 percent sales tax increase will take effect in the city of Gunnison, while a .60 percent hike is approved for the rest of the county. This estimated $800,000 to $900,000 annually would be funneled directly into a Rural Transportation Authority.

The RTA is expected to increase service into Gunnison County's airport. The issue was deemed necessary to escape the annual headache of having to raise enough pledge money in financial guarantees to convince airlines to fly here during the ski season.

With passage of 1A, that money will be on-hand not only to ensure winter season air traffic but also year-round flights.

In addition to airline service, the RTA is also meant to beef up ground transportation in the county - bus service to and from Crested Butte, shuttle service around Gunnison, and other possibilities.

Kent Myers of Airplanners - LLC is Gunnison County's hired airline consultant. When he came on board this past spring, Myers identified long-term funding as a priority. He said the RTA is now a reality because of the work of the special airline committee, called Fresh Air, "good communication on the issues and leadership by government and elected officials."

"Airline transportation is not a problem exclusive to small or resort communities," Myers explained. He views cooperative efforts such as Gunnison County¹s RTA as a trend to address this issue.

"It may have a different design, vehicle or partners;" he said, "but the bottom line is that governments and businesses are getting together to solve a common goal of air transportation access."

Beginning in July of next year, the Local Marketing District (LMD) will replace the existing 1.9 percent lodging tax with a 4.0 percent levy on hotel and other overnight accommodations. This is expected to generate about
$900,000 annually for the purpose of countywide marketing and promotion efforts.

The LMD funds will be housed under a start-up organization called the Resort Association. This representative entity will act somewhat like a countywide chamber of commerce, and will be responsible for expending the new marketing dollars.

The two issues were promoted as being directly related. Without marketing to fill the air seats, the argument in favor of passage went, the RTA would be less than capable of completely fulfilling its potential. Precinct voting data indicated that the taxpayers followed this logic: they either supported both, or opposed both; there was very little ballot difference between the two measures.

In a related issue, Mt. Crested Butte voters approved an additional tax, 174 to 67. This one is called an 'admissions tax,' and is levied primarily on lift tickets to Crested Butte Mountain Resort. This money, which will total approximately $400,000, will also be spent on tourism promotion.

Gunnison County Commissioner Perry Anderson, who was one of the leading proponents of 1A and 1B, was watching the results at Almont Resort Tuesday night with about 20 other backers.

"I think we're on the verge of a lot of good things here in Gunnison
County," Anderson said. "This vote is the start of all that. We appreciate the voters looking to the future."

by Chris Dickey and Mike Ritchey