Basalt residents should vote for ballot item 3A if they want to keep the current level of vitality including town services and cultural and recreational programs.
A “yes” vote does not increase the actual amount of property taxes. It fixes a 10-year failure to hold an election each time the rate was increased from the 2.562 mill low at the height of the Great Recession in 2009.
Without a “yes” vote the town would lose about $740,000 in property taxes each year from an annual operating budget of about $7 million. A 10 percent annual decrease in income would have to affect the level of services and amenities the town now provides.
A vote for 3A will keep Basalt moving forward.
Bernard Grauer
Basalt