I’m listening to residents throughout Routt County. The message is clear: Routt County is increasingly unaffordable for the people who live and work here.
Affordable Housing is a major challenge. Routt County faces a workforce housing shortage of approximately 3,100 units. Median home prices in Steamboat Springs exceed $1.3 million. Many single-family homes sell for well over $2 million. Teachers, resort workers, small business employees, firefighters, and young families are being priced out. Typical working people are forced to commute long distances or live in crowded housing that still isn’t “affordable”. While second-home owners thrive, local working families are struggle.
Action steps I will take: I will fight in Denver to reduce excessive state regulations that drive up housing costs. I will support practical deed-restricted workforce housing projects that prioritize local residents. And I will oppose new taxes and mandates that further increase the cost of housing for Routt County families.
Property taxes and cost of living continue to rise. Despite record revenue flowing into government, Routt County residents are feeling the squeeze. Legislators in Denver keep creating new fees and programs that bypass Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). The efforts to weaken or repeal TABOR are growing.
Action steps I will take: I will strongly defend TABOR and vote against any attempts to bypass or undermine it. I will push for real fiscal responsibility in the Statehouse. This will be key for Routt County taxpayers to keep more of their paychecks and receive better value.
Our tourism economy must work for locals. Tourism is the lifeblood of Steamboat Springs and Routt County. Unfortunately, small businesses and year-round residents bear the burden of higher housing costs and expanding regulations.
Action steps I will take: I will work to reduce unnecessary state regulations on small businesses. I will support policies that reduce the fiscal burden on locals, while ensuring that the benefits of tourism remain. I’m for working folks and families, not just seasonal visitors and second homeowners.
We must protect our water rights. Water rights in the Yampa River basin are under growing pressure. This threatens our agriculture industry, and our communities as a whole. Meanwhile Routt County faces significant wildfire risk with the majority of residents living in the wildland-urban interface.
Action steps I will take: I will defend Colorado’s prior appropriation doctrine that establishes our water rights. We must resist efforts to divert more Yampa River water away from our communities and historic uses. I will also support practical, locally driven wildfire mitigation efforts. We need responsible forest management instead of top-down mandates from Denver.
Routt County has a special character with natural beauty, distinct communities, and roots in the American west. Residents deserve a representative in Denver who will put local families and workers ahead of destructive political ideologies.
Residents of Routt County, I want to know your thoughts. With effective leadership, we can restore responsibility in state government and protect the ability of average people to call Routt County home.
James Kellogg – Republican Candidate for Colorado House District 26
