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Summit County voters will have a final chance today to decide on an affordable housing funding mechanism, a lift-ticket tax that will generate $3.5 million a year for Breckenridge transit projects and a measure that will allow the county greater freedom in negotiating a cell tower. Voters will also decide who will fill four open seats on the Summit School District board and will help determine whether a statewide proposition to recapture marijuana sales tax revenue passes. (Check out summitdaily.com for a full voter guide with links to Summit Daily stories on each ballot item.) Below is an overview of the items you will see on Summit County ballots:

• Ballot Issue No. 2A asks Breckenridge voters to approve a lift-ticket tax at Breckenridge Ski Resorts starting with the 2016-2017 ski season. The revenue would be directed to a new fund dedicated to transit and parking improvements. If 2A passes, Vail Resorts will be obligated to collect a 4.5-percent sales tax on all single-day and multi-day Breckenridge Ski Resort lift tickets.

Vail Resorts agreed to a guaranteed annual payment of $3.5 million.



• Ballot Issue No. 5A asks Summit County voters to authorize an extension of the existing workforce and affordable housing sales and use tax.

In 2006, voters approved a sales and use tax of one-eighth of one percent aimed at expanding the quality, quantity and affordability of housing in Summit County.



Between 2007 and 2014, the tax raised approximately $13.28 million to support affordable housing projects in Summit County and the towns of Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco and Silverthorne.

• Ballot measure 1A will ask voters to authorize Summit County to construct cell phone towers. This is a requirement of Colorado Senate Bill 152, passed in 2005, which mandates voter approval before state municipalities can devote revenue to improve local broadband service.

The county is proposing the ballot measure after years of negotiations with AT&T to build two cell towers in Summit County fizzled this summer.

• There are five candidates vying for the four open seats on the Summit School District Board of Education. The seven-member board oversees six elementary schools, Summit Middle School, Summit High School and Snowy Peaks High School.

The candidates are: Cindy Bargell, Terry Craig, Mark Franke, Lisa Webster and incumbent Sue Wilcox. With the exception of Craig, all candidates have children currently attending school in Summit County.

• One open seat on the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees is being contested, while candidates for three other openings are running unopposed.

Voters in all six counties of CMC’s district vote to elect the seven at-large trustees, with one resident elected from Eagle, Lake, Pitkin, Routt and Summit counties and two trustees representing Garfield County.

The contested seat is in eastern Garfield County where incumbent Kathy Goudy faces off against challenger Jon Warnick.

• Proposition BB will appear on ballots statewide. The outcome will dictate how $66 million collected from taxes on retail marijuana is allocated.

If the measure receives voter approval, the state will retain the funds. On the other hand, if voters reject Proposition BB, approximately $24 million would be reimbursed to retail marijuana cultivators and $17 million would be refunded to retail cannabis consumers through a short-term reduction on marijuana taxes. Also, regardless of marijuana purchases, all Coloradans who filed a 2015 state income tax return would get a share of the remaining $25 million.

If you want to vote in person today, visit the Old Summit County Courthouse (208 E. Lincoln Ave., Breckenridge), Frisco County Commons (37 Peak One Dr., Frisco) or Silverthorne Pavilion (400 Blue River Parkway, Silverthorne) between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Voters in line by 7 p.m. are allowed to vote no matter how long it takes. Ballots can also be dropped off at these locations on Election Day.

All voters registered in Summit County now should have received a ballot by mail. If you did not, call the county Clerk and Recorder’s Office at (970) 453-3479. Mailed-in ballots must be received by the clerk’s office by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Breckenridge hosts open house on McCain property

The Town of Breckenridge is hosting a public open house on a detailed plan for the McCain property on Tuesday, Nov. 3 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, Breckenridge Town Hall, 150 Ski Hill Road.

The 128-acre McCain property, owned by the town of Breckenridge, is located at the northern end of town to the north of Coyne Valley Road and to the west of Colorado Highway 9. The current proposal amends a 2013 plan and provides more specific direction regarding land uses on the site, as well as locations for open space and trails.

“The McCain property is the largest undeveloped property on the valley floor in Breckenridge,” notes Peter Grosshuesch, the town’s community development director.

The modified plan identifies locations for a water treatment plant, parking, solar gardens, public works facilities and an area for workforce housing. The plan also includes sections for open space, trails and a habitat corridor along the Blue River. The plan sets asides areas for open space and new trails and preserves a large habitat corridor along the Blue River.

Celtic guitarist Jerry Barlow returns to Summit County library

The Summit County Library will once again welcome acclaimed Celtic fingerstyle guitarist Jerry Barlow for a concert. The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5 in the Buffalo Mountain Room of the County Commons Building in Frisco. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library and is free to the community.

Music from all of Barlow’s recordings can be heard regularly on National Public Radio stations. He has been featured in Fingerstyle Guitar magazine, and was profiled in the February 2011 issue of Celtic Connection. He has performed in the Gates Auditorium for the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, the Arvada Center for the Performing Arts, and is a favorite of High Plains Public Radio’s Living Room Concert Series in Amarillo, TX.

Prospector Park grand opening set for Veterans Day

The grand opening for Prospector Park at 4 p.m. on Nov. 11 will include acknowledgement of veterans, the dedication of a historic artifact, the unveiling of “Tom’s Baby” sculpture, and a ribbon cutting by the town council. The park is located at 112 North Main Street.


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