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Monday, March 26, 2007

Merge Superior With Broomfield?

So what about folding Superior into Broomfield and that way their costs and income would be more manageable, spread out and less duplicative? This is the idea of Paul Everitt, a 6-month resident of Superior.

I've heard of a few people who want Erie to secede from Boulder County or Niwot should annex into Longmont. What do you think of this one?

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why would Broomfield want to acquire responsibility for Superior? When the pragmatics don't even make sense, one need not look at all the legal hurdles.

And the legal hurdles are substantial for each one of those scenarios.

Consolidation of Superior and Louisville might be more feasible, if it did make any sort of sense, and I haven't really thought about that. But this idea about Broomfield-Superior is one to stuff in the novelty file.

Unknown said...

St. Vrain County baby! Boulder, let Longmont flee. Free free, set them free. Ya, I know, pipe dream.

Anonymous said...

Erie could become such a large and sprawling city that they would someday want to create Erie County. The others I don't see happening.

Anonymous said...

The premise that Broomfield would want to absorb Superior because it would be advantageous to Superior shows you how far that idea is likely to get. It's amazing to me the story has been picked up like it might actually go somewhere. Of course, it makes a good story.

Forming a new county is not such a great deal as far as I can tell. Broomfield was sort of a unique case in the way it fell in four different counties, which made, for example, tax collections and law enforcement difficult. Erie is in two counties, and Longmont is in the same two counties. I would think the real motivation to pursue carving out a new county would be about half as great, if that.

I did see the blurb about St. Vrain County on the Wrongmont site, but I'm still not sure I understand what it would accomplish. There is some explanation of how the vote in the City of Boulder dominates County elections, but I do wonder how much longer that can remain the case, with population in the East County now exceeding the population of Boulder...

Anonymous said...

I look forward to the day when none of the county commissioners are Boulderites (Bouldarians?). For too long east county has been subject to the priorities of Boulder (ie. the further left leaning the better). Does anyone think the commonly used expression 'only in Boulder' is a positive one? East County residents are just as much concerned about issues like the environment and energy conservation, but with a more realistic world view. East County should consider leaving Boulder County and forming our own county!

Anonymous said...

viva la SUPERFIELD

Anonymous said...

Yes, maybe a new county would make for somewhat better representation, but the cost! We'd have to build our own jail, hire a whole new county staff or at least new positions to make up for the old County officials we'd be abandoning (assessor, sheriff, etc.), and figure out whether there is any land left to govern in the new county that isn't already in a municipality or some sort of precedenting setting court-fight-in-the-making with the old County that will hold title to a good chunk of unincorporated land in the new County...

Anonymous said...

If you don't like living in BoCo, then leave! No one's holding you back, and probably fewer would care if you left. There are many of us in east BoCo who actually like living in Boulder County and don't have silly hang-ups about those whacky liberal neighbors to the west. There are many other counties in the state that may irritate you less. Try the west slope. Then you can really complain about palces like Boulder sucking down all your water, and generally ruining the world with insane ideas, like land use planning.

To tell you the truth, Truth Be Known, there are many other places in this country that are similar to Boulder, it's just the whipping boy for the local knuckleheads that have never been anywhere else. So when someone says 'Only in Boulder', they probably haven't seen much else to compare it to.

Anonymous said...

Don't the Boulder County Commissioners need to live in different geographic areas of the county? I think that's how it is set up. Anyway only one of them (Toor) is from Boulder.

Anonymous said...

Yes, the commissioners "represent" districts, but are elected at large. I'm not completely unsympathetic to the theory that the City of Boulder has a disproportionate influence on County politics. You can find people who agree with everything that comes out of Boulder, chapter and verse, anywhere - or at least anywhere in BoCo. The real question is if it's fair for people in the City of Boulder to elect their own representative from Boulder, then Longmont, then Louisville...

But that's just a theory. Hopefully no one will accuse me of having it in for the County Commissioners. Their actions can sink or swim on the merits, and I don't see any huge bias toward opinions that are not relatively popular throughout the County. I think the moderating influence of moving eastward is one of subtle shades of gray more than anything that would radically shift the direction of County government if left unto its own devices.

Anonymous said...

no bueno Superfield que pasa Broomerior?

Anonymous said...

Superior's Mayor Pro Tem appeared with Commissioner Pearlman to request support for the revenue sharing proposal.

She introduced herself by saying that they have a residential building moratorium because everyone knows residential development dosen't pay for itself. Also that Superior feels financially secure for the next five years.

So why would they put themselves at the "mercy" of Broomfield County?

Anonymous said...

If residential doesn't pay for itself, and impact fees are because growth should pay its own way, what is the true source of income to actually cover costs?! What's going on, perpetual mass ponzi schemes funding the whole country? Sorry I asked...

Doktorbombay said...

Right on, Chunky! If this quote was true, and not taken out of context (sorry, Kerry), it's pretty naive, irresponsible, or both.

If true, Superior has their city cost structure tied too closely to retail, which works for now, but is not sustainable. There have always been retail cycles, and there always will be.

Property taxes are the closest thing to a stable source of funding for small towns. And as such, should be what the cost structure is linked to. Linking it to anything else is tenuous.

Perhaps Superior is not putting enough burden on residential developers to fund infrastructure costs related to development.

Whatever. If you can't make residential pay for itself you have no business running a town.

Anonymous said...

Council meetings are televised live and recorded for rerun for wo weeks. Or tapes are available at the local library. So d-b, check it out.

Also any blogger can check a city budget out to see how it works.

And it's a reverse Ponzi, I think.

Doktorbombay said...

Gee, thanks for the education, Kerry. Kinda defeats the purpose of blogging if I have to go look up facts. Those'll just confuse me.

Anonymous said...

d-b,

You won't find the acts in a city budget book either. Works of fiction.