What if we had a huge American company called “Mega- Mart”? Mega-Mart wanted to make a lot more money. Instead of getting more people to buy at Mega-Mart, they decided to go after our tax money.
Mega-Mart’s lawyers found a new loophole in the state law that allows them to quietly hold a tax election. The loophole permits an election in May, not November, so very few people would turn out to vote. Even better, this loophole lets them have the election at Mega-Mart stores, and the people counting the votes were hired by Mega-Mart. If the tax passes, Mega-Mart’s revenues go up by almost 50 percent.
Sounds pretty far-fetched, doesn’t it?
It’s real, and it’s happening in Aurora on May 2. The only difference is that it’s not Mega-Mart, it’s the executives of a private corporation called Aurora Mental Health. They want you to pay for an $8 million tax increase, and all that money goes to AMH.
The loophole is a law that lets AMH set up a “special district” which has the exact same boundaries as our city. It’s a city election in every sense, but now you have very different election rules.
Clever? Yes.
Fair? No.
Let’s start with what everyone agrees on: We need mental health services in Colorado. It’s undisputable. What’s more, the staff at AMH has done an excellent job of providing those services. That’s why my wife and I have spent so much time as volunteers and fund-raisers for AMH. Clearly Colorado needs a meaningful discussion about mental health services, the appropriate funding, and how to get that funding.
None of these things are on the ballot. What is on this ballot is a tax increase. Is this quiet May election, held primarily at AMH sites, a fair measure of the voters’ desire to give another $8 million a year to a private organization? Absolutely not!
There are a number of big problems with this election, including:
It could have been held in November; the only reason for a May election is to get a different election result. Clearly, AMH believes it would likely fail in November, but might pass in May due to low voter turnout.
The information has been inconsistent and poorly done. The required legal notices are confusing, and many people have told us they did not receive them. We have seen little effort to let people know about this election.
Having only six places to vote is a burden for our voters; there are more than 10 times that many sites in a regular election.
The election has been planned to handle only about 20 percent, or one-fifth of the normal number of voters. This is an obvious attempt to skew the election results.
There are no voting places in Adams County.
Having four of the six polling places in AMH sites may intimidate or unfairly influence many “no” voters.
This election has been marred by a long list of problems, from mishandled absentee ballots to unanswered or unreturned phone calls. Aurora voters are becoming more and more angry.
When the people of our community are given good reasons for additional funding, and the arguments are clearly presented, they will support it. The voters already approved support for people with developmental disabilities, and that was in a November election.
AMH might be surprised at the voters’ wisdom, now in May or later in November.
We’re suggesting voters go to the polls on May 2 and vote “no” to tell AMH that they want a public November tax election.
To find out where you can vote, go to www.citizens4fairtaxation.org, or call Paul or Kate Tauer at 303-366-8538.
Paul E. Tauer (ptauer@comcast.net) is a former four-term mayor of Aurora.
