County unveils stimulus plan
By Mike Wiggins
Thursday, April 1, 2010

Mesa County is considering entering into a financing agreement that would allow it to sink $17.5 million into a variety of fast-tracked capital projects.
County commissioners are expected to decide Monday whether to approve the agreement, which would provide money up front for new facilities, building improvements and new trails.
The county had planned to pay for most of those projects with money from its capital fund. Should commissioners authorize the financing agreement, the county would use the freed-up capital funds, totaling about $12 million, for two road-widening projects.


I believe that in an election year, that a candidate should show his or her capabilitie’s in working with communities’, not waste time by researching past legislation and failed action’s of their opponents. It is in this respect that i must advise on this article and present alternate options to allow the public to consider the best course and work together to make it happen.

The plan, as read in this article, has several flaw’s. I have to ask the GJ. community to consider the tax rate before the lease on the county jail was sold in this manner, and what was the tax rate after all was said and done, in addition, what was the cost in total of the counties’ annual budget to expand on employee’s and resources to serve the program. The bond plan is OK, but as they are tax free and designed to pay interest to bond holders, these funds must come from somewhere and as none of the plan’s actions are seen to generate a profit, then eventually the taxpayer must foot the bill in the end. This is not to say that we should tax the bond’s, just an example of what the taxpayer is in for, including the, what looks like, 10% interest charge from Wells Fargo to finance the program.

One of my plan’s if elected, is to amend the federal community re-investment act, the plan from the county listed here would be a great test for my proposed plan, in that instead of financing public works and putting up public property to do so, they should place the money in the general fund into an interest bearing trust, then look for failing industries that could be financed through the employee’s, or find why they are failing and apply a program to ensure their profitability.

In another venue, a coalition of business person’s could research the foreign trade market, then decide on a product that could be produced in Grand Junction and begin a program to weed America off foreign trade dependency.

America and local government’s must look to other possibility’s for economic answers instead of public services that are sure to place a larger burden on the taxpayers, please consider this program instead of public works.