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Invest in your community
Normally, we endorse ballot questions individually. We won't do that this year. You won't vote on these questions in a vacuum. Especially during a rough economic downturn, we understand voters will try to whittle this year's ballot down to an itemized bill, wanting to know what the total will be. For that reason, we'll address the increases requested by Douglas County Schools, 3a and 3b, and Douglas County Libraries, 5a, in one commentary.
We've given you the raw numbers to mull over as we ask you to consider the real question behind these proposals — is your community worth the investment?
Essentially, an investment is what these questions boil down to and we think it's in that context that the strongest argument can be made in favor of them.
Think about the investment you've made in your home and how it impacts your financial picture. If the fall of the stock market this year has made you wince at the prospect of opening your quarterly 401(k) statements, the idea of selling your home or imagining what your home is worth in this market is enough to give you a nervous tick.
But recent studies of the real estate market in metro Denver show that Douglas County is holding its home values better than other areas, despite the foreclosure crisis. Some of the reasons for this are purely economic, but it also points to the fact that Douglas County is still a desirable place to live.
Questions 3a, 3b and 5a will only enhance this desirability and make the county that much more resilient to the volatile housing market.
Most school ballot questions provide for more schools and operating revenue to keep those schools running. These two questions are no different, but they have the significant added bonus of letting the district escape the 4-track, year-round calendar crowded schools have forced it into. Even though the housing boom has slowed down, the district still is growing and simply doesn't have the space.
When considering a desirable place to live, schools are usually at the top of the list for most suburban home shoppers. Year-round school calendars often mean that siblings attend schools on different schedules making vacations and other events even harder to coordinate for families that are already busy. That sounds relatively minor, but it is a detractor for a school system that is otherwise very appealing. The amount of attention this issue has gotten from parents caught in the year-round shuffle speaks volumes about the importance of this issue to families.
Parker, Lone Tree and Castle Pines North have a great deal to gain from 5a. It goes well beyond books and facilities. It goes to building a sense of community. In Parker, a new library at the east end of Mainstreet could provide the anchor to downtown that is needed to make that community thrive. Business owners along Mainstreet have seen that opportunity and strongly campaigned for the ballot question. Lone Tree will find itself in the same boat as RidgeGate develops, creating the downtown sense of place that the young city craves. Without a community gathering point that the library can provide, that sense of place will be harder to come by. Castle Pines North, in its infancy as a city, should see the library as something it can build an identity around.
The grassroots efforts that are driving the campaign this year as opposed to last year says a lot about the support this issue has had and the surprise felt by many that voter apathy hurt the success of this issue so much last year.
It's hard, in a time when signs of the bad economy dominate daily discussion, to think beyond tomorrow. But this year's ballot is a time to think ahead. Eventually, the housing slump will bottom out.
Colorado's economy, so closely tied to the health of its real estate market, will rise again. That Douglas County is holding its real estate value compared to other parts of the metro area means Douglas County is poised to rebound quickly from this recession as it has from others in the past. Question 3a, 3b and 5a will make Douglas County stronger when the economy rebounds. It's a chance for voters to ensure a stronger future.
When the economy recovers, the value of your home investment will again be judged by the health of its nearby schools and the vibrancy of its surrounding community.
You can make that better for yourself with yes votes on these three issues. Unfortunately, the ever-climbing costs of construction materials and land mean that waiting for better times means paying more later on.
In the case of the library district, where it is building on donated land in Lone Tree and Parker, there is no tomorrow for this plan. This will be a missed opportunity that can't be recaptured.
While you weigh all your investments, consider your community as part of your portfolio. For roughly $144 a year, the schools and libraries will have a return on investment that's hard to beat. Vote yes on 3a, 3b and 5a.
We've given you the raw numbers to mull over as we ask you to consider the real question behind these proposals — is your community worth the investment?
Essentially, an investment is what these questions boil down to and we think it's in that context that the strongest argument can be made in favor of them.
Think about the investment you've made in your home and how it impacts your financial picture. If the fall of the stock market this year has made you wince at the prospect of opening your quarterly 401(k) statements, the idea of selling your home or imagining what your home is worth in this market is enough to give you a nervous tick.
But recent studies of the real estate market in metro Denver show that Douglas County is holding its home values better than other areas, despite the foreclosure crisis. Some of the reasons for this are purely economic, but it also points to the fact that Douglas County is still a desirable place to live.
Questions 3a, 3b and 5a will only enhance this desirability and make the county that much more resilient to the volatile housing market.
Most school ballot questions provide for more schools and operating revenue to keep those schools running. These two questions are no different, but they have the significant added bonus of letting the district escape the 4-track, year-round calendar crowded schools have forced it into. Even though the housing boom has slowed down, the district still is growing and simply doesn't have the space.
When considering a desirable place to live, schools are usually at the top of the list for most suburban home shoppers. Year-round school calendars often mean that siblings attend schools on different schedules making vacations and other events even harder to coordinate for families that are already busy. That sounds relatively minor, but it is a detractor for a school system that is otherwise very appealing. The amount of attention this issue has gotten from parents caught in the year-round shuffle speaks volumes about the importance of this issue to families.
Parker, Lone Tree and Castle Pines North have a great deal to gain from 5a. It goes well beyond books and facilities. It goes to building a sense of community. In Parker, a new library at the east end of Mainstreet could provide the anchor to downtown that is needed to make that community thrive. Business owners along Mainstreet have seen that opportunity and strongly campaigned for the ballot question. Lone Tree will find itself in the same boat as RidgeGate develops, creating the downtown sense of place that the young city craves. Without a community gathering point that the library can provide, that sense of place will be harder to come by. Castle Pines North, in its infancy as a city, should see the library as something it can build an identity around.
The grassroots efforts that are driving the campaign this year as opposed to last year says a lot about the support this issue has had and the surprise felt by many that voter apathy hurt the success of this issue so much last year.
It's hard, in a time when signs of the bad economy dominate daily discussion, to think beyond tomorrow. But this year's ballot is a time to think ahead. Eventually, the housing slump will bottom out.
Colorado's economy, so closely tied to the health of its real estate market, will rise again. That Douglas County is holding its real estate value compared to other parts of the metro area means Douglas County is poised to rebound quickly from this recession as it has from others in the past. Question 3a, 3b and 5a will make Douglas County stronger when the economy rebounds. It's a chance for voters to ensure a stronger future.
When the economy recovers, the value of your home investment will again be judged by the health of its nearby schools and the vibrancy of its surrounding community.
You can make that better for yourself with yes votes on these three issues. Unfortunately, the ever-climbing costs of construction materials and land mean that waiting for better times means paying more later on.
In the case of the library district, where it is building on donated land in Lone Tree and Parker, there is no tomorrow for this plan. This will be a missed opportunity that can't be recaptured.
While you weigh all your investments, consider your community as part of your portfolio. For roughly $144 a year, the schools and libraries will have a return on investment that's hard to beat. Vote yes on 3a, 3b and 5a.
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