If you are a Millennial, and you are reading this in China, there’s a very good chance that you already own your home…
Author: Bill Hudson
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.
EDITORIAL: A Lengthy Tax Discussion That Left Us Hanging, Part Two
“Well, as I stated before, even in the Tourism Board meeting, you know… housing, workforce housing, isn’t your government’s problem…”
EDITORIAL: A Lengthy Tax Discussion That Left Us Hanging, Part One
So I’m not complaining, and I’m not blaming the Council either. They are trying to do the best they can, with limited information, and with a sense of loyalty to their own bureaucracy…
EDITORIAL: LPEA Considers a ‘Ménage à trois’ with Tri-State, Crossover Energy
“The partial contract option can be a win-win for La Plata and other coops, and Tri-State and the generation and transmission business model,” Mr. Bridges stated…
Colorado Voters Rejecting Three Ballot Measures, in Unofficial Results
According to early returns reported by the Colorado Secretary of State on Tuesday evening, November 2, it appeared that all three of the statewide ballot measures were destined to go down in defeat…
EDITORIAL: The Agony of Owning a Vacation Rental, Part Three
He chuckled. “And it’s difficult to create a ‘balance’ by creating a lot of pain for people doing certain things one way, in order to encourage people to do long-term rentals…
EDITORIAL: The Agony of Owning a Vacation Rental, Part Two
In other words, participation on AirBNB and VRBO and the rest of the popular booking platforms is a double-edged sword, if a rental owner is trying game the system…
EDITORIAL: The Agony of Owning a Vacation Rental, Part One
“Pagosa’s beautiful. We love it. But what made Pagosa special to us were the people. Every store you walk into, every place you go, everybody greets you with a smile…”
EDITORIAL: A Few Thoughts About Community Development, Part Four
In my experience, eating a single-scoop ice cream cone can be quite satisfying…
EDITORIAL: A Few Thoughts About Community Development, Part Three
“We’ve made a statement, that we are onboard with helping with housing. We’ve put an exorbitant amount of money into our infrastructure budget — something that we’ve never done before…”
EDITORIAL: A Few Thoughts About Community Development, Part Two
We, the taxpayers, are now asked to continually subsidize an industry that provides mainly videos, social media, and pornography. Except no one actually asked us…
EDITORIAL: A Few Thoughts About Community Development, Part One
“And… I’m just very… concerned… about the type of people who are coming here… because I saw it all over the Western Slope…”
EDITORIAL: Freeing Ourselves from the Tourism Trap, Part Eight
At the conclusion of the discussion, Council member Mat deGraaf volunteered to meet with the citizens who’ve proposed two ballot questions…
EDITORIAL: Freeing Ourselves from the Tourism Trap, Part Seven
“Massive” is right. The County tax collection from the first quarter alone was more than the entire year in 2015. And it’s all being spent to subsidize the tourism industry…
EDITORIAL: Freeing Ourselves from the Tourism Trap, Part Six
According to the discussion yesterday, there are approximately 300 RVs in the Aspen Springs subdivision, that appear to be year-round residences. So maybe 500 people… living illegally?…
EDITORIAL: Freeing Ourselves from the Tourism Trap, Part Five
“Second, there has never been a better moment to invest in vacation home rentals than now. With a fast-growing market and several booking platforms, finding tenants for your short term rental is easier than ever…”
EDITORIAL: Freeing Ourselves from the Tourism Trap, Part Four
Nothing much Colorado towns can do about VRBO and AirB&B. But we can do something about taxes…
EDITORIAL: Freeing Ourselves from the Tourism Trap, Part Three
“Many stakeholders expressed regret that the town and county did not move faster to implement housing solutions before costs were this high and the gap so wide….”
EDITORIAL: Freeing Ourselves from the Tourism Trap, Part Two
“The Pagosa Springs Area Tourism Board is projecting, in their draft budget, similar collections for 2022. About $1.2 million….”