Public Comments

Please remove Highlands Ranch from the 4th district and put it into the 6th. It makes more sense for Fort Collins to be a included here -- CSU has the vet school and the Ag school, and there are many farming communities in Larimer County. It makes zero sense for Highlands Ranch. Many addresses in Highlands Ranch -- including my own -- are Littleton addresses. Many families have kids who attend schools in the 4th district. Many people in Highlands ranch work in the 4th district. Highlands Ranch is a suburb of Denver and should not be grouped in with the Eastern Plains. It is unfair to both those in Highlands Ranch and those on the Eastern Plains. There is no community of interest here. What's important to a voter in Highlands Ranch is completely different than what's important to a voter on the Eastern Plains. Please put Highlands Ranch into the 6th district.

It makes no sense for Highlands Ranch to be included in the 4th district. Highlands Ranch is a suburb of Denver, and has much more in common with those communities than those on the Eastern Plains. Many addresses in Highlands Ranch -- including my own -- are technically part of Littleton, which is part of the 6th district. Many families in Highlands Ranch have kids who attend school in the 4th district. Many people in Highlands Ranch work for companies in the 6th district. The things that concern me as a resident of Highlands Ranch are completely different than the things that concern someone in a community on the Eastern Plains. It's not fair to the residents of those communities either to have Highlands Ranch included in their district. The voices of voters in Highlands Ranch will drown out those on Eastern Plains, since it's a more populous area. Highlands Ranch belongs in the 6th district.

Broomfield is one "community of interest" that should NOT be divided.

Why is Broomfied being divided among CDs? I thought this was discouraged- (2) (a) As much as is reasonably possible, the commission's plan must preserve whole communities of interest and whole political subdivisions, such as counties, cities, and towns. Both a City and County are being separated.

I want to thank the Commission for listening to the views of those in Southern Colorado and for proposing the Tafoya 005 map to meet our needs for a Southern Colorado district, whereby we may more effectively manage the waters and water-influenced issues in our region. The Tafoya map keeps the Arkansas headwaters, rivers, reservoirs and river valleys of Southern Colorado in one contiguous district. This is a critical factor for the people, farms and businesses of Southern Colorado to meet common needs and work toward common goals. This common interest extends beyond our agricultural and residential needs. From the headwaters of the Arkansas, through the rafting companies in Buena Vista; to the Royal Gorge and downstream whitewater along the highway 50 corridor; into Pueblo Lake which hosts two marinas; and downstream into the water sports park and Riverwalk within the boundary of the city of Pueblo – water related sports and tourism must have a shared voice. These activities will bring millions of tourism and sales tax dollars into our coffers and we should be promoting them as a collective. This water-based eco-tourism community of interest should not be fractured, but instead should be encouraged to work cooperatively within one district. The Tafoya map accommodates this community of interest. In contrast, the Coleman 004 map breaks up the Arkansas River corridor; so, although the river itself runs through the heart of our city, we would have little influence over her upstream waters. Considering Pueblo’s strategic plan and financial investments to develop business and promote tourism around this liquid jewel in our city, it would be foolish to enact a dislocation from the source which fills our reservoir, provides for water-based sports and generates the critical tourism dollars our city and our sports and arts businesses rely on. Additionally, it is important that the small cities of Southern Colorado are given the opportunity to have a shared voice for transportation corridors, infrastructure, water, tourism, universities, hospitals, housing and the arts. The Coleman 004 map breaks up the highway 50 corridor, it dislocates Pueblo from other Southern Colorado communities which share common interests above, with tourism being completely disregarded. We in Pueblo are opposed to the Coleman map; but are amenable to the Tafoya map which accommodates all the issues mentioned above. The Tafoya map keeps the critical Arkansas headwaters, rivers, reservoirs and most of the Colorado, San Juan and Rio Grande river valleys of Southern Colorado in one contiguous district. It maintains a corridor of small cities who share common interests, while bonding the more similar rural regions together. It maintains the integrity of tribal lands. It provides for Southern Colorado to have the power to advocate for the needs unique to our region. We in Southern Colorado urge you: do NOT adopt the Coleman 004 map. Please implement the Tafoya 005 map. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of our needs.

We want the club20 redistricting map to give the western slope equal voice!

I am writing to express my strong support for the proposed 2nd Staff Plan and my equally strong concerns with the Tafoya 5 Commissioner Plan. As a former Boulder County Commissioner -- I was was termed out in January after serving two terms, from 2013-2021 -- I know firsthand the alignment of values, tradition of collaboration and collective identity that unites the communities of Boulder County -- and consequently, the importance of including all of the County in the same congressional district. The residents of the municipalities within Boulder County and the County itself are known for their progressive political outlook, which results in our local governments taking similar positions and actions on an array of important public policy issues, ranging from open space protection and sustainability, to human services and public health programs, to gun violence reform and affordability solutions. In particular, our communities have all embraced the urgent imperative of the climate crisis, with almost all municipalities and the county having adopted policies and programs dedicated to climate mitigation and resilience. We have a history of coordination and collaboration on critical topics of common interest. For example, the County and nine municipalities in the county have signed onto the Boulder County Regional Housing Partnership, all committing to increasing their own stock of affordable housing in order to achieve the collective goal of 18,000 affordable homes preserved or developed by 2035. Another major example of collaboration was during the devastating 2013 floods, where Boulder County communities banded together to respond to this multi-billion disaster and then created a formal collaboration to collectively disburse federal relief funds, making sure that the needs of smaller communities like Lyons and Jamestown, who had the least ability to rebuild on their own, were addressed first. Similar coordination and partnership occurs around the issue of wildfire, where the County and its communities work together to fight wildland fires (such as the 2010 Fourmile Canyon Fire, 2016 Cold Springs Fire, and 2020 Cal-Wood & Lefthand Canyon Fires), as well as to mitigate wildfire risk though forest health projects and homeowner mitigation programs that aim to prevent future wildfire disasaters. Land use in Boulder County is also a unique partnership between municipalities and the County, with all new major development occuring within municipalities' service areas, while the lands outside and between communities are preserved as rural farmland and open space, a philosophy and practice that is perpetuated via long term intergovernmental agreements between the County and its municipalities. A key component of this land use is alignment around the permanent protection of open space, for recreation, environmental protection, farmland preservation, and community buffers. Boulder County and many of its municipalities all have their open space protection programs and dedicated sales taxes through which they coordinate on management and acquisition of key parcels, with numerous instances of joint land acquisitions to safeguard landscapes of mutual interests. Another area of coordination, alignment and joint action is on the issue of transportation. Through the Mayors and Commissioners Coalition and the Denver Regional County of Governments subregional TIP forum, the jurisdictions within Boulder County work together to plan, prioritize and fund multimodal transportation projects that cut across jurisdictional boundaries, in recognition that residents and workers travel across the county and beyond to reach their destinations. The fruits of this partnership can be seen in projects like the US 36 Express Lanes Project and the pending State Highway 119 Bus Rapid Transit project. These are just some of the numerous shared interests and public policy concerns which unite the communities of Boulder County. I urge to honor and maintain our collective identity and practice of coordinated action by keeping all of the County voters in the same congressional district, as the 2nd Staff Plan does -- and NOT splitting them into multiple districts like the Tafoya 5 proposal does.

Do not divide Broomfield. Keep it as one!

I am concerned with the latest Congressional redistricting map. I live and work in Teller County. I lived in west Denver and Jefferson County for 40 years. The majority of Jefferson County is nothing like Teller County. The majority of Jefferson county has access to metropolitan services and amenities that are no where similar to Teller County. Jefferson County has at least 3 large indoor malls, multiple strip malls, light rail, busses, and highways that are larger than 2-4 lanes. I moved to Teller County to be away from the metropolitan area and traffic. Our County is a quiet county where neighbors help neighbors in time of need. It is a place where our cows roam free to eat the best grass available. It is a place where our kids can play out in nature without the fear of being kidnapped. This is nothing like the majority of Jefferson County. Teller County is much more like our neighbors to the south and west including Park County, Freemont County, Chafee County, and Saguache County in terms of landscape and wildlife. Our federal public land use, land use, mining and the extraction industries connect us more to the western slope and southern region. Teller County has a total of 4 grocery stores and one big-box store along with a few other shops. The towns of Cripple Creek and Victor only survive due to the Casinos and the Newmont mine. Please review the maps and adjust the redistricting maps accordingly.

Broomfield is one community of interest that should NOT be divided.