On May 3rd, you may be eligible to vote in an election that you may not even be aware of. If you are a landowner, resident and registered voter in Grand Valley District 1, which is an area from 20 Road west to Kiefer Extension (approximately 12 Road), and from the Colorado River north to the Grand Valley Highline Canal you can cast a ballot for one of the three seats on the Board of Directors. The way to do that is to show up in person at the Grand Valley Drainage District office, 722 23 Road between the hours of 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM. As no separate mailing has been sent notifying voters of this opportunity, turnout is expected to be light and every single vote will be important so the Chamber urges members to take the time to cast ballots in this election.
The Chamber has also endorsed a candidate in this race, Cody Davis. A statement, requested by the board prior to endorsement is shown below.
Candidate Tad Hutchins did not respond to the Board’s request.
Candidate Cody Davis:
“Below are my thoughts about the future of the GVDD and the 5-2-1.
For starters, I believe the GVDD boundaries should be enlarged to include the greater Grand Valley area, and eliminate the need for two drainage authorities. I know this process includes legislation at the state level, but it will be worth the time and investment.
As far as the drainage fee that was recently assessed, it was done in haste with little thought to the impact to growth and development. In addition, the fee was imposed in an inequitable fashion, picking winners and losers. Non-profit organizations should be exempt from paying this, not just the school district.
The fact is, the GVDD is in desperate need of revenue to continue providing this vital function to the valley, and no one is arguing that point. The question is how to pay for it. With a consolidated drainage district (as I propose), taking this to the people as a reasonable tax is the first step. They deserve to vote on this, rather than having a fee imposed against their will. From a practical standpoint, having this on the tax roll would make it easier to asses and collect; as this would be done by Mesa County, and it would also save the district a substantial amount of money because they would not have to collect the fee.”
Click here to download full version of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce May 2016 Newsletter.