Public Comments

I live in _______, which is part of House District 50. Greeley, Evans and Garden City are all in House District 50. Our communities are strongly connected. First, we are in the same school district of Greeley-Evans 6. Our schools do so much to make sure students learn. Many of those students in our House District need extra support to succeed and issues like funding matter a lot to our community. Second, our neighborhoods and businesses look and feel different than other communities nearby. We have more families that come from different income levels, cultures, and ethnicities than areas like Greeley West. More immigrants and workers from large plants like JBS or Leprino foods live in our neighborhoods. Our homes are smaller, older or house multiple families. More of our businesses are run by people of color. I hope you will keep our communities united in one House District. Being represented by one representative has meant that our issues are taken seriously and there is someone working on policies that benefit us. If our communities were to be split and mixed with more affluent or rural parts of Weld County, we would lose that voice. I strongly urge you to keep our communities united in one House District.

As Colorado works on redistricting, I would like add my voice to the public comments. I know how important educational funding is to Colorado. Our Legislature spends so much time and resources on K-12 education that I think it's important for a representative to understand the specific issues of teacher retention, at-risk students and the infrastructure of school buildings themselves. In Adams County, we have several school districts with different needs because of population sizes. Any Adams County Representative is going to work collaboratively with the people involved in setting up our children for success, and I know that their job will be much harder if they have to build new relationships and learn issues specific to other districts in different counties. Please don't put our children at a disadvantage by complicating legislative responsibilities across county lines. John Bass 2050 w 154th Pl Broomfield Colorado Adams county

I live in the Glenmere area, which is part of House District 50. Greeley, Evans and Garden City are all in House District 50. Our communities are strongly connected. First, we are in the same school district of Greeley-Evans 6. Our schools do so much to make sure students learn. Many of those students in our House District need extra support to succeed and issues like funding matter a lot to our community. Second, our neighborhoods and businesses look and feel different than other communities nearby. We have more families that come from different income levels, cultures, and ethnicities than areas like Greeley West. More immigrants and workers from large plants like JBS or Leprino foods live in our neighborhoods. Our homes are smaller, older or house multiple families. More of our businesses are run by people of color. I hope you will keep our communities united in one House District. Being represented by one representative has meant that our issues are taken seriously and there is someone working on policies that benefit us. If our communities were to be split and mixed with more affluent or rural parts of Weld County, we would lose that voice. I strongly urge you to keep our communities united in one House District.

I am asking the legislative redistricting commissioners to please keep the district boundaries at the Adams County line. As a resident of western Adams County, I’m very aware of the different issues that we face compared to the communities near us. Housing development and growth is rising considerably faster in Adams than Jefferson County. We have several smaller school districts that have distinct needs and fewer financial resources than a larger district such as JeffCo. These districts all stop at the county line, and I believe that our representative will have their hands full advocating for the educational needs of Adams County kids without having to worry about another district in another county. I volunteer for and am on the board of directors of a local non-profit organization which has developed excellent partnerships with all the great resources provided by Adams County, and I think it would be a shame for us to have to essentially start anew with contacts, partnerships, and funding sources because district lines were redrawn. The pandemic has shown how important it is for all facets of government to work together in order to be efficient. An unclear or mixed response to a public health emergency endangers lives, and a representative who is giving out information to their constituents should not have to ask which county someone lives in before informing them of what guidelines they should be following.

To the Redistricting Commission: Thank you for serving on the Redistricting Commission for the state of Colorado. As residents of Steamboat Springs, we ask that you keep House District 26 as similar as possible. Ideally, Routt County would be kept with communities of interest, specifically other resort communities such as Eagle County. It is imperative that we keep communities of interest together so Coloradans can be properly represented at the state and federal level. Resort communities are facing similar problems, including affordability for essential workers and low-wage earners, as well as the impact of climate change and environmental issues on our wonderful community. Thank you, Lucille Hurd

To the Legislative Commission Staff: My name is Mrs. Tannis Bator, a Greeley resident and former educator in Weld County School District 6. Thank you for your difficult work in assuring that a legislative map will appropriately include communities of interest so that the voices of all people can be heard. I taught in District 6 for over 30 years, primarily in Title 1 schools with large minority populations. Several of the District 6 schools are located in both Greeley and Evans. Before covid, I continued to connect with students by volunteering at Salida del Sol (east Greeley), Chappelow Arts Magnet K-8 (Evans), and Centennial Elementary (Evans). HD 50 is currently a strongly minority influenced district and, besides a high percentage of minority students, virtually all the minority-owned businesses are located here. There is significant cooperation between the Greeley and Evans Chambers of Commerce. My husband and I are board members for Envision, Creative Support for People with Developmental Disabilities, which is also located in Evans but works closely with the city of Greeley. Sunrise Community Health Center, located in Evans, serves residents of both Greeley and Evans. Besides offering covid vaccination to an underserved population, there were free vaccination clinics for students of District 6. Sunrise also worked closely with Envision to ensure that that vulnerable population was served. In addition, the Immigrant and Refugee Center, located in Evans, serves many people in the eastern portion of Greeley and works closely with School District 6 so that these students, new to our country, state, and city, can have the best transition possible. As you can see, the economic, educational, and healthcare needs of Greeley and Evans are tightly connected. To maintain the Greeley/Evans House District 50 as a legislative district would be the most positive solution to serving the needs and interests of these residents whose voices are often ignored.

Thank you for your service to Colorado as members of this new redistricting process. As my public comment I would like to ask that Pueblo West remain in one legislative seat rather than be split between two districts. Pueblo West is not large enough to necessitate a split: we can be kept whole within one seat. There is no reason to draw an arbitrary line down the middle of our community and decrease our influence in the state legislature. All parts of Pueblo West have the same interests and basic concerns. I appreciate you listening to my input and thank you again for taking the time to look after Colorado's future.

I have had the privilege of living in Adams County for 30 years and enjoyed the uniqueness of the community. Breaking up the county could be an immeasurable disruption to the community interests. It would be helpful when considering redistricting if Adams County could remain intact and preserve its uniqueness.

Hello Redistricting Commission, My name is Jan Vigil. I have lived in Alamosa, Colorado for the last 15 years. I am graduate of Adams State University, class of 2013. I am a public school teacher at Center High School in Center, Colorado and have been in that position for 8 years. I was born in Pueblo and my families' roots stem from the Gardner/Red Wing area through Walsenburg and the San Luis Valley. House District 62 is a special place and it needs to stay the same in its boundaries. The ties between Pueblo and the San Luis Valley are immense. From families, to agriculture, to small business, and two great universities, the ties between these areas must remain intact. This district was drawn up to serve and represent, and be a voice for the Hispanic/Mexican-American Community. We need to preserve the goals of the district and who it needs to represent. I believe that all folks in this district share many commonalities and if we break it up, we will hurt the Hispanic community in either the San Luis Valley or the East Side of Pueblo. The people of this district share two languages, are very blue-collar, Catholic and it is good to have that kind of voice in Denver. Thank you Jan Vigil

Thank you for your service on the Legislative Redistricting Commission – your time, energy and insight are very much appreciated. House District 26 is a great example of a legislative district combining counties that are true communities of interest. From amazing ski areas to local agriculture to river basins to public land to a very high cost of living with low tourism industry wages, Routt and Eagle’s common challenges and opportunities are endless. This empowers our HD26 Representative to focus on issues and define legislation that make a real difference district wide - for both Routt and Eagle counties. One of the key areas that define both Routt and Eagle is through a housing lens. Housing affordability and attainability are significant in defining a community and housing costs have a major impact on both our counties. The gap between local wages and the cost of housing is threatening both counties’ economy and the ability for local families to own – or even rent – a home. Housing costs have community wide impacts and state policy is a key driver for community solutions in attainable housing. Housing policy matters. The next 10 years will define whether mountain counties like Routt and Eagle are strictly resorts or diverse communities where both local residents and tourists can thrive. State policy can and will make the difference regarding family and workforce housing, including the many related community wide impacts. Please keep Routt and Eagle’s combined housing voice in House District 26 and support both counties’ turning housing – and community wide - challenges into opportunities. Thank you.