Last Monday, as chronicled by Le Roy Standish and The Dail Sentinel (”Possible growth of county board subject of forum,” March 11), our county commissioners were briefed by County Administrator John Peacock regarding the proposed expansion from three to five commissioners.

Among the briefing items covered was the anticipated cost of such expansion (for the new commissioners‚ added salaries and remodeling for additional office space) now estimated to be about $1 million over five years, and thus about $200,000 per year.

In response to this seemingly prodigious “cost,” Commissioner Craig Meis asked the legal staff to research the propriety of including such a cost estimate in the language of the ballot question to be posed to the electorate in November — thus revealing what the opponents of expansion (apparently including Commissioners Meis and Jnet Rowland, along with Lois Dunn) will argue to defeat it: “Better Government costs too much, so vote ‘NO,’ ”

However, no matter how you look at it, this objection is a red herring intended to divert public attention from the real value of expanding representation on the Board.
First, the increased salaries will not be incurred until 2011, after the two additional commissioners elected in November 2010 are sworn in and Mesa County’s population reaches about 165,000 (such that $200,000 equals about $1.20 per person per year).

Second, an added annual expenditure of $200,000 amounts to but 0.14 percent of Mesa County‚s 2008 budget of $143 million — a drop in the bucket, even in frugal Mesa County.

Third, $1 million in oil and gas production in Mesa County generates about $40,000 in revenue. From 2006 to 2007, the value of oil and gas production in Mesa County increased by $10 million — generating about $400,000 in additional revenue (or about twice the annual estimated cost of adding two additional commissioners).

Fourth, even if oil and gas production levels off, the rising price of the natural gas will continue to generate added revenues. Thus, even if the total taxable value of oil and gas production increases by only $5 million per year, that will still generate the additional $200,000 per year needed to pay costs attributable to two Commissioners.

Thus, voters should recognize the cost argument for what it is — a shallow, spurious, and disingenuous attempt to avoid the real question: How much is honest government really worth?

BILL HUGENBERG
Grand Junction

This entry was posted on Friday, March 14th, 2008 at 6:44 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.