Your thoughts on the rural/urban divide? Don't know much about mill levies and overrides ... (with a side of get involved locally where your efforts will mean more).

What do you think?

I was intrigued by Mrs. Gabel's op ed linked below.  

I would be curious to hear your thoughts if you wanted to share.  I don't care where you sit at while you're reading it, whether it's in rural Colorado or along the Front Range, in keeping with the spirit of the op ed, the comments are open to all to share their (civil) thoughts on the rural/urban divide.

I could write at length about this, all the various aspects that come to mind.

I think I will spare us all the rambling at length and just discuss what is topmost for me here.

Often in life it takes two to make a problem.  It takes two to have a misunderstanding.  That is how I see a lot of the rural urban divide.

Do people along the Front Range have no clue about rural Colorado and do they make (since they have the lion's share of political clout in this state) thoughtless decisions that have consequences rural people bear?  Yes.

Having moved out to a rural area from the Front Range I can also tell you there is an unwarranted and reflexive hostility and distrust among some out here for people from the Front Range.  

Neither group is perfect.   Neither group behaves in a saintly fashion.  There is a lack of desire to engage with and try to understand the group you don't belong to.


This is what the op ed makes me think of.


Ultimately you cannot control what anyone else in the world does or thinks.  The only thing you can control is what you do and how you relate to others.


In that sense, I think it makes sense for everyone, on both sides of the rural/urban divide to stop thinking about themselves for a bit and start thinking about others.


When is the last time you visited the region you don't live in and tried things there?  When is the last time you spoke with someone from the region you don't live in that might disagree with you on things or who was brought up differently?


When is the last time you read or watched something about the people from the region you don't live in?


These are all simple, free things that you can do.  And while they may not be a panacea, they strike me as a hell of a lot better than complaining.

https://www.coloradopolitics.com/opinion/there-doesnt-need-to-be-a-rural-urban-divide-gabel/article_a7ce9c2c-1e85-11ee-825b-df05c1d18535.html

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Don't know much about mill levies and overrides ....

There is a lot of talk about the state's role in property taxes, but less about the local government's role. 

There are plenty of resources out there as to the process so I won't go through everything, but you could summarize things like this:  the state sets the starting point, but the local government districts decide where to go from there.  

If you want more info, for example, a video about the local government's part in property taxes is linked below.  

Info is good, but I'm also a fan about telling you actual things you can do.  And that brings us to the most important part of this post.  

While it's good to advocate on the state level (and I recommend you continue to do so), advocating at the local level is a better place to start.

Think about it:  have you ever seen Polis or your state rep at the grocery store unattended by handlers so you could talk to them about their choices and not have them ignore you?  Have you had this happen with your city's mayor?  Your county commissioner?

Buttonholing your local elected leaders is a hell of a lot more easy and effective than state leaders.  It is much more likely to lead to results.  Speaking up locally and sharing information with your neighbors is the same.

What I'm saying here is echoed by the folks in the video (and I thought it important enough to reiterate by attaching a screenshot).

You should also be aware of what taxing districts you're in, because, you may not be aware that some tiny, virtually-unknown board of people is deciding how much you have to pay in order to, say, fund the fire department in your town.  

I think the fastest and easiest way for you to find out what specific taxing districts you're in (and if you know of a better way, please share in the comments!) is to call your local clerk and recorder to ask.

It's how I've done it in the past in researching earlier posts and it was a straightforward way to find out what can be a somewhat convoluted process trying on your own.