Public Comments

I am a resident of rural Montezuma county and have been involved in agriculture for my entire life. I am VERY much opposed to splitting Montezuma county as doing this will remove all municipalities from our county and we really will have NO voice. My father was a major part of the McPhee Lake which in turn supplied water to our dryland farmers. Montezuma county's heritage is mainly in agriculture and I feel that we need a municipality to continue to voice and support our needs for water rights and for a legislative voice! DO NOT split Montezuma county! We're very small and our voice is often not hear or heeded because of the huge cities on the eastern slope. Thank you for your time and consideration! Melanie Filener

Montezuma County should not be split for State House representation. The county and the municipalities should be kept within one district so the voice they have is concerted as one, not split based on different locations in the county. The confusion represented by a split (I mean really what district are we in and who is our rep?) this isn’t necessary. Keep us as one!

My name is Morgan Scott. I am a fourth-year student at UNC. I'm originally from Phoenix, Arizona, but I've made a home in Greeley. I chose UNC because of the diversity, celebrated Latinx culture, and the student-driven programs offered. It makes UNC unique and different from other universities such as CU or CSU. One thing that especially makes us different, UNC is underfunded and misrepresented in legislative decisions. Our school's lack of resources left our administration in a tough spot to let go of over 40 staff members that helped UNC be so unique. Before, our programs had aids that helped students one-on-one stay on track and involved in the university. Now, the responsibility is our already very busy professors, which gives us less one-on-one attention. The university also cut back on the cultural courses offered because they limited staff (caused similar situations across other departments). Considering UNC is one of the most diverse universities in Colorado, I found it counterproductive to limit our cultural programs, but we had few choices. With UNC being a part of the same congressional district as CSU and CU, our special needs aren't represented to the fullest. We should be a separate congressional district to increase our chances of proper funding, grants, and other opportunities. Also, we should not split into multiple districts. As a bear, I'm confident when I say UNC is a united community, and across campus, students have similar needs. UNC's campus should be united in a single state house district so our needs can reflect the whole student body which is a community of interest. If we go forward with the proposed redistricting, we will once again be diluting UNC's opportunities.

I do not believe that splitting our county in half will represent the people of our community. You will be over looking the community we have. We are mostly agricultural and we are not represented well by LaPlata county! LaPlata county is already a way more extreme cost of living which is over flowing into our community without the job opportunities. Let us decide and vote for what is best for community.

My concern for Douglas County is that it is split into 3 different congressional districts. Although city limits are largely respected and kept together I think it would be best to respect the cohesiveness of Douglas County, to recognize that the city and the county work well together. The cities within the county are best served (whether it is the urban centers, the rural areas, or the suburban areas) by one congressional district. The industries that permeate Douglas County are rarely isolated to one spot, whether it is hospitals, agriculture, stem, or other industries. They are not well served if each individual business within any industry is not addressing needs and concerns with a single office.

I would like redistricting in Colorado to be representative of the population, and NOT to be gerrymandered with Republicans controlling the districts. Here in the Denver metro area, homelessness is a major issue that needs to addressed by concerned parties.

Dear Redistricting Committee, Thank you for your time and for your work on this important issue. I’m writing today on behalf of the Wind Crest retirement community in Highlands Ranch, where I have served as executive director since 2007. We wish to respectfully request that the Wind Crest community be included within only one legislative district, and not two separate districts as is currently proposed. We are one single but large retirement community of 15 interconnected buildings on an 84 acre gated campus with over 1,700 residents, 90% of whom live in independent living. In the most recent preliminary legislative district map, we noticed that the Wind Crest campus would be split into two parts between District 22 and District 33 in the preliminary map for state house districts. We believe this would pose logistical complications for our staff and residents: Being located in two districts would require Wind Crest to host two separate caucus meetings for each election season, and will create confusion among our residents for whom we would like to make voting as easy and efficient as possible. Our residents are active voters with approximately 95% being registered voters. Being in multiple districts would burden our community (and residents) with additional administrative expenses. Our Democratic and Republican precinct leaders, our elected Resident Advisory Council members, Wind Crest administration, and Erickson Senior Living, our management company are all aligned that our community should be in a single district. As a single gated community, we believe that Wind Crest clearly meets the definition of a “community of interest.” We also feel strongly that it would be more logical and appropriate to be included in District 22 with the majority of Highlands Ranch. On behalf of the entire Wind Crest community, I want to thank you and the commission for your monumental efforts to create a fair and equitable district map for the state of Colorado. Sincerely, Craig Erickson Executive Director

Commissioners, I have reviewed your preliminary maps and appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback. CD 8 I would like to see Broomfield removed from District 8 and replaced with portions of Weld. I suggest the Commission continue the district north along I-25 commencing around the Erie Parkway picking up Mead, Berthoud, Windsor, Severance, and moving all of Johnstown into CD 8. This district would run parallel to Congressional District 2. This plan keeps the small, growing, vibrant communities along I-25 in one congressional district. This map was successfully submitted on August 15 through the Redistricting Online Portal, plan name Rally for Ag. CD 4 I ask that you do not include any portions of Greeley in CD 8. Present and proposed CD 4 is a rural district. Greeley was built as an ag colony, and to this day is a community anchor to traditional ag, cattle production, and industries stemming from ag production. • JBS is the biggest producer of meat protein in the world. The company’s American corporate headquarters is in Greeley. • Leprino Foods is located in east Greeley. Leprino employs 500 people and manufactures cheese and other milk by-products. Over 60,000 head of dairy cattle is required to meet Leprino’s production needs. Weld Senate Districts I ask that the Commission consider having Senate District 32 closely follow the lines of CD 8. The southern border would be the Weld County line. The district would continue north along the 1-25 corridor ending north of Severance. Senate District 2 would take in Greeley, everything east of Greeley to the county line and south to I-76. The triangular portion of Weld County south of I-76 would be in District 1, eastern Colorado. I have attached a map of the outlined area. State House District – 64 I encourage the Commission to put north Greeley, east Greeley, LaSalle, and Evans in House District 64. I suggest that this House District does not include the campus of the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). By including UNC in HD 64 the Latino population will be fragmented into multiple house districts. I have attached a map and population breakdown for the proposed district. Thank you for your consideration.

I live in Paonia, which, along with Hotchkiss and Crawford, is part of the North Fork Valley community. It's very important to keep all of the North Fork together in the redistricting. In the mountains, the river valleys determine communities with shared interests, including roads, schools, doctors and hospitals, telephone systems, broadband, economic and energy interests. The local newspaper for Paonia, Hotchkiss, and Crawford is the North Fork Times, a section of the Delta County Independent. The former Paonia High School and Hotchkiss High School (which already served Crawford), just merged to become North Fork High School. If possible, it would be ideal to include the North Fork Valley with Gunnison County because of the common watershed (the full name of the North Fork River is North Fork of the Gunnison), but it is very important that Paonia, Hotchkiss and Crawford stay together. Thank you, Robert Riggs

To the members of the Legislative Redistricting Commission, I have revised my remarks since I spoke in person Saturday, August 13 at the University of Northern Colorado ballroom. I do not feel that district 64 provides adequate, competitive, and reflective representation for the citizens who have been in House District 50. “Ideally, redistricting is for the purpose of a district being reflective and representative of the electorate. It should be compact to keep the communities of interest intact.” My husband and I live in east Greeley, only 2 blocks from the University Center where the in- person redistricting meeting was held. When we purchased our home in the Cranford Neighborhood in 1978, it was in central Greeley, but the rapid growth west of 35th Ave from the late ‘70’s-early 80’s has pushed the center west. We are in an urban area with a majority minority population with most minority businesses located here, and are much different than the suburban area west of 35th Ave and unincorporated Weld to the east. Current census figures indicate that Greeley is now 51% white and almost 40% Latino, with people of color tending to live and work in this urban corridor which is east of 35th Ave. During my 31 years as an educator in this district, I worked with several of these families in two middle schools and two elementary schools in this area as a Title I teacher. Currently, there are many refugees who have been placed here and work at JBS. One hundred different languages are spoken by the various families in the Greeley/Evans Unified School District. Many of the services consistent with an urban area are in east Greeley: there are five Greeley/Evans Transit routes, only one of which crosses west of 35th Ave and with an additional route that allows UNC students to get from one campus to the other, both campuses being east of 23rd Ave. Healthcare in this area is primarily provided by Northern Colorado Medical Center and Sunrise health centers, often for people of color and lower income. Services for the homeless, for mental health, for families in crisis, and for those with disabilities are housed most frequently in the Greeley/Evans urban corridor. The Weld Food Bank and United Way are also here. A large majority of those who live here work in service industries, fossil fuels, JBS meat packing, as well as NCMC hospital and community health services, the Greeley/Evans Unified School district, and university students in student housing. The downtown and the university have been linked closely for more than 100 years and neither should be split. There should be continuity to their work and partnership. Under the current map, district 64, a chunk is taken out of both the Glenmere and the Cranford Neighborhoods. Why? The District 50 legislative representative lived in and understood the needs of this legislative district. This was the only competitive district in Weld County and 64 threatens to dilute our voice. My suggestion would be to follow the line of 35th Ave east to the Balsam neighborhood, north to 0 St. and south to 37th Ave. Keep what was District 50 intact and use the CLAARO map to work around the edges if need be. East Greeley, Evans, Glenmere, UNC, and downtown have been and should continue to be part of the same district. East Greeley and Evans should be linked to reflect our common social, economic, racial, cultural and geographic concerns. And our elected representative should understand/act upon those concerns. I would be remiss if I did not mention the recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Global Warming report that came out on August 14, 2021, which states that we must rapidly draw down our reliance on fossil fuels. What I heard on Saturday from several people is that oil and gas and agriculture is the heart of Weld County. I believe that those industries will not reap the rewards they have in the past and that, unless we drastically decrease our reliance on methane producers, the planet will become inhabitable. I know we’ve heard this for awhile and that some want to ignore or not believe it, but I think before the next 10 years is done, whatever pattern of redistricting is approved, the county will be much different than it is today. As federal authorities, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, impose the first-ever mandatory cuts in how much water Arizona, Nevada and Mexico take from the Colorado River, the states higher up the river face rising pressure to divert less….. shrinking mountain snow, drought and heat are depleting headwaters, authorities said. Colorado Water Conservation Board officials have scheduled a working session this month to consider expansion of pilot program efforts to pay farmers, cities and industries to use less water, which analysts have said could cost the state hundreds of millions. My take? Agriculture will look much different in a few years. These two very recent news items should be highlighted in your thinking about how oil and gas and agriculture will be affected by climate change. Thank you for your time and incredible devotion to this important job. Mrs. Tannis Bator 1920 12th Ave. Greeley, CO 80631 tanbat@comcast.net