Canyon Courier 11/5/20
DID YOU KNOW THAT
DID YOU KNOW THAT (DYKT) in 2018 JEFFCO Road&Bridge installed 325 ADA ramps for $1,700,000? JEFFCO paid the bill with funds from the Highway Users Tax Fund (HUTF) and that JEFFCO’s share is about 10 million annually. Evergreen ADA ramps were not on that list.
DYKT disregarding the purposly vague T&E project descriptions and instead using the “marked up” photos it can be determined that Evergerren has about 33 ADA ramps and 16,150 linear feet of ADA sidewalk that must be installed and paid for by JEFFCO?
DYKT CDOT has set aside 22.4 million specifically for ADA compliance projects, statewide ?
DYKT to get ELID approval JEFFCO has misrepresented these ADA “accessibility” projects as “Public safety improvement” projects to be paid for by your private legacy and subsequent sales tax funds?
DYKT those private Legacy funds could support Grants to local business for establishment modifications to meet ADA compliance requirements? Instead Legacy funds are to be given as a “gift” to JEFFCO to help pay for JEFFCO’s ADA projects.
DYKT for FY 2019-2020 JEFFCO has received from the state Treasurer about $1 million a month in HUTF funds?
DYKT creation of a County district requires a “representative” vote of county electors by the BOCC and that all county voters must be notified?
DYKT to keep creation of the ELID a local secret, the BOCC only notified the subscribers of the Canyon Courier?
DYKT the only person that knew all of the above was the only Hearing participant that was “BLOCKED” and prevented from testifying?
WHAT? You didn’t know any of this?
Well now you Know. So, what are you going to do about it?
There are only two options.
Option 1 : You can huddle together with others like sheep and let the BOCC pull the wool over your eyes. Open your wallet, and with others, pay out 3.4 million or more for 10 or more years, to pay for ADA compliance that belongs to JEFFCO to complete and pay for from HUTF and CDOT ADA compliance funds.
Option 2 : Fight back!! Help litigate, in Federal District Court, against the flawed creation of a County district that is a scam. Go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/2732a-responsive-government-for-public-safety and with enough others make a small donation and get the ball rolling.
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Denver Post
THE THREAT TO EVERGREEN
The Evergreen community, its culture, its people, and its emerging business economy are under attack and are about to be devoured by a monster set loose by the JFFFCO Commissioners at a 10/27 Hearing.
The ELID (Evergreen Local Improvement District) monster, dressed up as “Public Safety” projects, spawns ADA features that fill the community and are fed by an additional sales tax on local business products and services. Local businesses, once supported by a “BUY LOCAL” program, are now about to become less competitive and are poised to experience an exodus of buyers.
JEFFCO, after installing 325 ADA ramps in 2018, now has indigestion and the cure is in the form of the only dress that neo-consertives know how to wear, a democracy devouring “district.”
But the white knight in the community, living at evergreensafetywatch.com is circling the wagons, educating the masses and preparing to do battle. You, the “shining diamonds” of democracy in Colorado, can sample his truths and sharpen his sward with donations.
Go to evergreensafetywatch.com, read the story of ADA in Evergreen, and join in the battle to slay the “District” monster in Colorado.
“The solution to the problems of democracy” in Colorado “is more democracy”!!
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Canyon Courier
(This email to the Canyon Courier was not printed because only 1/mo is allowed from the same person.)
ADA Compliance in Evergreen Colorado
Governments and private business that serve the public are compelled to comply with the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA). Generally this means providing access by building wheel chair usable pathways and ramps and remote door opening operations.
Governments provide access by replacing street curbs with ramps, building ramps into buildings with remote door opening service, and providing connectivity access with sidewalks. Business serving the public provide access to their establishments by providing ramps into buildings with remote door opening service.
Who pays for all this construction?
Business owners to modify their establishments and parking lots.
Taxpayers pay for government modifications at the Federal, State, County, and Municipal level. Public subdivision districts also pay out of pocket. So, for local municipal governments like Lakewood and Littleton, the taxpayers in those government communities pay for ADA compliance projects in those communities.
JEFFCO installed 325 ADA ramps in 2918 and applied $1,716,281.90 from HUTF funds to pay the bill.
What About Evergreen?
Evergreen is not a business and has no municipal government. It is a census designated place (CDP) defined by the area code 80439. It is unincorporated. So, by law its local government is Jefferson County Government, (JEFFCO) and JEFFCO government is obligated to perform and pay for ADA compliance projects in JEFFCO. So, this means that all the taxpayers of Jefferson County pay for ADA compliance projects in non-municipal areas of JEFFCO. Including County taxpayers living in Evergreen.
So, County taxpayers living in Evergreen, together with all other County taxpayers, pay for ADA compliance projects in all unincorporated areas of JEFFCO including Evergreen. This includes municipal taxpayers who also pay some County taxes.
So, Why a special County District in Evergreen?
JEFFCO Commissioners believe that Evergreen is a wealthy community and should be treated as though it is a wealthy municipal government. That being the contrived case, the people of Evergreen should pay for ADA compliance projects required in Evergreen.
So, to make the people of Evergreen pay twice for ADA compliance projects in Evergreen, the County has contrived an instrument they call the Evergreen Local improvement District (ELID). Pretending that the ADA projects are “improvement” projects the County will:
- apply Evergreen residents County tax dollars
- take and apply local Evergreen Economic development and Legacy funds
- and convince voters to self tax with a sales tax.
All three sources of revenue will serve to pay for JEFFCO’s ADA compliance without depleting the County budget.
To justify the creation of a District, JEFFCO T&E has provided 17 qualitative project descriptions which:
- lack a count of ADA ramps to be installed,
- missing linear feet of sidewalk,
- missing cost estimation standards,
- and an absence of any connection between project features and an calculated total cost. My calculator reads $3,360,000. This is an inflated cost of ADA compliance in Evergreen. But there is truth at evergreensafetywatch.com where the public can find a spreadsheet analysis where the projects are quantified, cost estimation standards are applied and produce a total 17 project cost of $1,985,509 and an ADA features cost of $1,435,509.
These two estimated cost values differ by $1,649,509, and the difference is important because the high value of $3,360,000, with no quantified benefits,is not true, and cannot be used to support a decision to create a District. However, the more accurate low value of $1,985,509, with quantified benefits, does not support a decision to create a District. The high value of $3,360,000, it will be argued, requires a sales tax that only a District can provide, but the low value of $1,985,509 can be funded with a small amount of County taxes, Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), ant other grant dollars.
The high value with unquantified benefits is fraudulent,while the low value, with quantified benefits and based on the application of accurate estimation standards, is true but does not support the creation of a District.
The other side of the ledger
From https://stories.opengov.com/jeffersoncountyco/published/7XaPSiSZb we find that
“Road & Bridge installed 325 ADA ramps in 2018”, at a cost of $1,716,281.90. The money came from the Highway Users Tax Fund (HUTF).
So an ADA ramp costs about $5281 to install and if there are 33 ADA ramps to be installed in Evergreen, it will cost $174,273 for the ADA ramps and between $1,017,450 and $1,220,940 for installation of 16,150 linear feet of sidewalk.
So, the total cost of installation of all ADA features would be between $1,400,058 and $2,446,725.
So if JEFFCO has all ready spent about $1,716,281.90 for ADA compliance, and compliance in Evergreen will cost about $2,000,000. Will this cost bankrupt JEFFCO??
The answer is no!! Because JEFFCO can pay for it all with HUT funds, just like it did in 2018. We do not need a “District” and a tax in Evergreen.
So, ponder the information provided above, and review the spreadsheet analysis that JEFFCO T&E should have provided (published at evergreensafetywatch.com/Letters to JEFFCO), and if you are insulted by the shady work and strategy, email the three JEFFCO commissioners and tell them to reject the creation of a District in Evergreen.