Unofficial election results for Archuleta County from yesterday’s general election showed overwhelming support for a seven-year property tax increase, to fund better teacher salaries for the Archuleta School District… and a lack of popular support for a “Justice System Capital Improvements” sales tax increase that opponents had estimated at $44 million over 15 years.
Republican candidates Alvin Schaaf (County Commissioner), Elsa P. White (Treasurer) and Richard Valdez (Sheriff) coasted to victory in this Republican-dominated county.
The School District’s 5A mill levy override will collect $1.7 million annually in added property taxes, to be used to “recruit and retain highly qualified teachers and staff; fund full time school resource officers for safety; fund full day Kindergarten; and provide required funding for Pagosa Peak Open School [charter school] to increase staff salaries, supplement full day Kindergarten, and improve school safety.”
The Archuleta County ballot measure, 1A, had proposed to increase the County-allocated sales tax from 2 percent to 3 percent — to fund a new Sheriff’s office and County Detention Center, and spend millions of additional dollars on unspecified “Justice System Capital Improvements.” 1A proponents had focused on the need for a new, larger jail to replace the existing 34-bed jail — abandoned by Sheriff Rich Valdez and the Board of County Commissioners in 2015, following a roof leak.
This is the second failure by the BOCC to win a “Justice System” sales tax increase in as many years.
From the Pagosa Springs SUN website:
Archuleta County Commissioner, District 3
Alvin Schaaf (Republican): 4,750 votes
Write-in Elizabeth Dickerson: 138 votes
Archuleta County Treasurer
Elsa P. White (Republican): 3,952 votes
Debbie Condrey (Democrat): 2,586 votes
Archuleta County Sheriff
Richard Valdez (Republican): 4,608 votes
Rob Keating (unaffiliated): 1,093 votes
Cole W. Graham (unaffiliated): 575 votes
Ballot Issue 1A: County sales tax increase for justice system facilities
Yes/for: 3,128 votes [47%]
No/against: 3,547 votes [53%]
Ballot issue 5A: Archuleta School District mill levy override
Yes/for: 3,948 votes [61%]
No/against: 2,499 votes [39%]
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can’t seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.