Libertarian Party of Boulder County Proposed Ballot Positions 2018
Colorado Ballot Issues
The Libertarian Party for Boulder Country agrees with most of Douglas Bruce‘s views on this 2018 ballot issue, except for ‘proposition 109’. For a summary of his views (with comments), please see http://13issues.com/sites/13issues.com/files/2018BI.
Special thanks to Ari Armstrong for his views on the matter.
| Name | Summary | Our Comments | Our Position |
| Amendment | |||
| A | Repeals a constitutional exception on the ban of slavery that allowed for slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime | Stop slavery. | NO RECOMMENDATION |
| V | Reduces age qualification for legislative members from 25 to 21 | Not needed. | NO |
| W | Shortens language on the Colorado ballot regarding judicial retention by consolidating questions | Not needed. | NO |
| X | Changes the definition of industrial hemp from a constitutional definition to a statutory definition | Not needed. | NO |
| Y | Establishes an independent commission for congressional redistricting | Excludes the Libertarian party. Sets up a duopoly for Republicans and Democrats!Douglas Bruce: CommentaryAri Armstrong: Commentary | NO |
| Z | Establishes an independent commission for state legislative redistricting | Excludes the Libertarian party. Sets up a duopoly for Republicans and Democrats!Douglas Bruce: CommentaryAri Armstrong: Commentary | NO |
| 73 | Establishes tax brackets and raises taxes to fund education | Douglas Bruce: Commentary | NO |
| 74 | Requires that property owners be compensated for any reduction in property value caused by state laws or regulations | YES | |
| 75 | Changes campaign finance contribution limits and requirements | If politician A spends $1+ million of his own money, politician B can take donations of $2,000. Who cares about rare cases? Pet project of former senator. Not needed. | NO |
| Proposition | |||
| 109 | Authorizes bonds for transportation projects without raising taxes | Fix our damn roads!Colorado Gazette: Commentary | YES |
| 110 | Authorizes bonds for transportation projects and raises taxes to repay the debt | $767 MILLION YEARLY sales tax hike for 20 years to repay $6 BILLION debt PLUS $3.4 BILLION interest for roads, local “needs,” bike paths, buses, etc. | NO |
| 111 | Restricts the charges on payday loans to a yearly rate of 36 percent and eliminate all other finance charges and fees associated with payday lending | You can’t protect the stupid. | NO |
| 112 | Mandates that new oil and gas development projects, including fracking, be a minimum distance of 2,500 feet from occupied buildings and other areas designated as vulnerable. | Takes property rights. Huge drop in state and local tax revenue. Loss of jobs. Fears are false; costs are real. | NO |
Other Ballot Measures
| 1A (Boulder County) | A proposal to extend an existing 0.185% countywide sales and use tax for an alternative sentencing facility. | The 5 year emergency flood recovery tax is expiring and our County government hates to see a tax go back to the people. Enter the Sheriff with his proposal to start a new tax for a an alternative sentencing program that just happens to cost the same amount as flood recovery and allows the ballot measure to start “WITH NO INCREASE IN ANY COUNTY TAX” Vote NO, save yourself the .185 per cent tax increase that comes with this measure. Let expiring taxes expire and call tax increases what they are. | NO |
| 2A (City of Lafayette) | New tax on Oil and gas production in city of Lafayette | NO | |
| City of Boulder | |||
| 2C | New tax on Oil and gas production in city of Boulder | NO | |
| 2D | Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Revenues | The city of Boulder is trying to make the illegal soft drink tax legal by getting the citizens to approve it. | NO |
| 2E | Initiative, Referendum and Recall Process | Pending comments | NO |
| 2F | Initiative Petition Signature Verification | ” | NO |
| 2G | Electronic and Online Petitions | Evan Ravitz and Ralph like it! | YES |
| 2H | Advisory Commissions | ” | NO |
| 2I | Planning Department Budget Recommendations | ” | NO |
| Longmont | |||
| 3A | Increase debt | This measure would obligate Longmont taxpayers to pay 26.6 million principal and interest of the total 53 million obligation should all three measures pass. These buildings are already pledged as security should the Twin Peaks mall tenants not be able to pay their rent. Longmont had to trim the 2019 budget due to a sales tax shortfall. This is not the time to increase the city’s indebtedness, to be paid from uncertain and variable sales tax revenues. | NO |
| 3B | Increase debt | This measure would obligate Longmont taxpayers to pay 15.5 million principal and interest of the total 53 million obligation should all three measures pass. The fire station next to the cemetery was previously converted to a fire station through a lease back arrangement that did not require a bond. There are other ways to renovate these stations without increasing taxes or debt. Longmont had to trim the 2019 budget due to a sales tax shortfall. This is not the time to increase the city’s indebtedness, to be paid from uncertain and variable sales tax revenues. | NO |
| 3C | Increase debt | This measure would obligate Longmont taxpayers to pay 11 million principal and interest of the total 53 million obligation should all three measures pass. The golf courses are supposed to be self-funding operations, not burdening the majority of citizens to subsidize the minority of citizens that can afford to play golf. The open ended wording would allow funding to go toward the “all-year ice rink” that only a tiny portion of Longmont’s population would use. Longmont had to trim the 2019 budget due to a sales tax shortfall. This is not the time to increase the city’s indebtedness, to be paid from uncertain and variable sales tax revenues. | NO |