Transcript Wheat Ridge
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May 9, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwheatridgenews.com
Jeffco Open Space debate continues About 200 residents attend public meeting By Sara Van Cleve
svancleve@ourcoloradonews.com When Jefferson County Open Space hosted another public meeting about Crown Hill Park changes, there was one strong message from many residents — don’t change anything. During the public meeting April 30, Jefferson County Open Space updated residents on the current plans — which include nixing the “Nature Place” play are for children — and released the results of a voluntary survey that 1,223 residents took. The survey asked residents if the “Nature Place” play area was desirable and the response was 75 percent no and 22 percent yes. Following these results, Jeffco Open
Space decided not to pursue the play area. Jefferson County Open Space Director Tom Hoby said there are three givens for improvements at the park though — trail restoration, which is nearing completion, replacing the restrooms to make them usable year-around and removing the current fitness equipment. The survey, though, asked residents if they want to see the equipment replaced and, of those that answered the question, it was split directly down the middle. The other survey question that was less than five percent different for yes and no was the construction of a pergola, or shade structure, with 47 percent yes and 44 percent no. Hoby then introduced two compromise alternatives for each issue. The first alternative for the shade structure is to use the one that already exists and add an additional one, making two, 12-foot by 12-foot shelters with additional trees
planted around them. The second shade alternative is a semicircle trellis that would have 40 percent of the footprint of the first alternative and could be seasonally covered to provide more shade. The first alternative for replacing the fitness equipment was to reclaim four of the eight spots for nature and put four benches in place at the other four locations, which would allow for stretching and sitting. The other alternative is to replace half of the equipment stations with new, plastic equipment and let nature reclaim the other half. During the question and answer session about the options, a resident asked if public opinion is split 50-50 on whether or not to do something, is there a third option or do nothing, to which much of the crowd cheered. “I understand there is a lot of people in the room that support that notion,”
Hoby said. “The question for us is how do we honor the folks who said they wanted something.” After hearing the alternatives, about 200 residents broke up into small groups to discuss the options and rate them. Many groups created their own third option though — do nothing and keep Crown Hill the way it is. Though there was support from citizens’ groups for the trellis, the majority of groups said they wanted nothing to change. Group support for the replacement of fitness equipment with new plastic equipment and just removing the old equipment and reclaiming all of the sites was nearly equal. “To me, keeping the animals there or helping the birds stay there is more important than building a lot of structures and putting down concrete,” said Evelyn Crown continues on Page 19
State closer to taxing Web sales Measure portrayed as move toward fairness By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com
The first civil union issued from the Jeffco Clerk and Recorder’s office on May 1 went to Tana Trujillo, left, and Jennifer Whitton of Lakewood. Photo by Glenn Wallace
Couples joined with civil union licenses By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews. com Even a springtime snowstorm did not keep 17 same-sex couples from making it into Jefferson County offices on May 1 to receive their license for a Civil Union. The county motor vehicle offices, along with the clerk and recorder office, are the only places to acquire a civil union or marriage license. The first couple to get a civil union in the state went to the
Arvada Motor Vehicle office. The first Civil Union license seekers were reportedly from the Arvada Motor Vehicle office, shortly before 8 a.m. At 8:05 a.m. Jennifer Whitton and Tana Trujillo of Lakewood walked into the county Clerk and Recorder’s office for a Civil Union license. Employees of the office applauded the couple. “My name’s already (printed) on there, but I would be honored to sign that,” Jeffco Clerk and Recorder Pamela Anderson said. Anderson’s signature is
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printed on every civil union/ marriage license because that’s one of her duties as an elected official. She offered to sign the first Civil Union license in person. The couple accepted. “We got married in Vermont two and a half years ago,” Whitton said. While Whitton said the civil union did not change their relationship, it would afford them more legal protection, and simplify future issues, particularly concerning their unborn child. “This is amazing,” Trujillo said. “I grew up here and didn’t think for a million years that this would happen. This used to be something that you didn’t even talk about.” District 2 County Commissioner Casey Tighe also stopped by the Clerk and Recorder’s office, and congratulated the couple. Barbara Adams and Jennifer Foster were second in line to get a license. The pair said they would celebrate with a small
ceremony at their church in Arvada. Foster said the pair had questioned whether to bother with the civil union though. “It’s still not marriage. It’s still not federal rights,” said Foster, who is a federal employee, and unable to extend her benefits to Adams. The state bill that grants the right of Civil Union for gay and lesbian couples was signed into law by Gov. John Hickenlooper on March 21. A similar bill was blocked by some Republicans during the 2012 legislative season. May 1 was the first day for the new Civil Union license to be available. The bill represented a major shift from the state’s past — a voter referendum in 2006 made gay marriage illegal as part of the state constitution. Boulder and Denver counties held midnight license events, and 199 couples had obtained their civil unions before the sun came up.
Colorado is a step closer to being able to collect Internet sales taxes following a vote in the state Senate on May 6. House Bill 1295 readies the state for the federal Marketplace Fairness Act, which would allow states to tax Internet sales, providing the legislation is approved by the federal government. Internet retailers like Amazon.com would pay taxes to a central collection point. Retailers would pay the taxes directly to the state, which would then funnel revenues to local governments. Representatives for local businesses testified at legislative committee hearings that it’s unfair that online retailers are not required to collect sales taxes. “This is about fairness to our tax system, making sure that the brick and mortar stores don’t have a disadvantage to the online remote sellers,” said House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, a bill sponsor. Ferrandino noted that mega-retailers like Amazon.com and Walmart support the legislation. Sales tax revenue collected through the bill is expected to pump more than $73 million into the state’s general fund in its first year of implementation. Congress needs to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act in order for states like Colorado to collect taxes from out-of-state retailers. The Supreme Court ruled states cannot force retailers to pay taxes if they do not have an actual physical presence in the state, unless Congress changes the law. In Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, the Supreme Court ruled in 1992 that a business must have a physical presence in a state for that state to require it to collect sales taxes. However, the court explicitly stated that Congress can overrule the decision through legislation. President Barack Obama has indicated he would support the legislation if passed by Congress. Under the proposed legislation, out-ofstate retailers with fewer than $1 million in annual sales would be exempt from the federal act. The Colorado bill passed the Senate on a 21-14 vote, after having previously passed the House on a 37-23 vote.
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