Letter to the Editor (Feb. 5)

Dear Editor,

Many thanks to Carrie Wise, Pat Murphy and Bert Steele for sharing common sense insights into the impacts of incorporation. As Carrie so (wisely) put it: “I think Niwot is really good the way it is.” “Don’t mess with it if it’s not broken.”

Bert Steele of Niwot Market said that the property tax increases proposed by incorporation “…are too high for many retail outlets, including his, which operates with a slender profit margin.” Higher property taxes piled on top of other forces driving up operating costs for small businesses can become a tipping point. The Market is our anchor store and a vital community gathering place. Can you imagine? Niwot without the Niwot Market is truly unthinkable.

Although we appreciate the extensive work that went into the Incorporation Study, we believe that the proposed NEXIT is a lot like BREXIT: Risky, divisive and fraught with uncertainty. It just seems like common sense that incorporation poses substantial risk, higher taxes (in perpetuity) and few benefits for the majority of Niwotians.

We urge residents to complete the community survey in the Niwot Incorporation Study, although we have significant concerns with the way the questionnaire presents binary, black-and-white choices regarding incorporation. We encourage full transparency and believe that the raw data and unredacted comments for this survey must be released publicly. (niwotstudy.com – community input tab.)

Victoria Keen & Mike Selak,

Niwot residents since 1984