Public Comments

First, establish where the increase in population has occurred. It's most likely in the west where ski towns are located. Lump them into one district. The "dividing" line may look fractured, but the counties in the two new districts will have more in common.

I think we need to keep as many of our state legislative districts exclusive to Larimer County and not to combine them with Boulder. They are two different communities of interest and should be kept separate.

I am most interested in seeing districts redrawn according to the criteria by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court which has the best compactness and dividing the fewest counties. Both are independently calculatable numbers. Compactness divides the length of the perimeter by the area of each district. And then let the chips fall where they may on the resulting political divisions and so on. Other methodology becomes arbitrary. Politically, Routt and Moffat may be dissimilar, but several thousand people commute from Craig to Steamboat every day. That region solutions for transit and housing are going to require Routt and Moffat cooperating. It is six of one, half dozen of the other whether Routt and Moffat belong in the same district. Meanwhile, what can be measured without bias is whether people in both communities are in compact district(s) of undivided counties.

Thank you, Commissioners, for your consideration of public comments. I have resided in Pueblo County since 1984. Prior to 2020, our Congressional Representative Scott Tipton was basically indifferent to our community, public policy concerns, economy, and/or anything else about Pueblo. He was absent, physically and policy-wise, except during re-election cycles, when he managed to make a few campaign appearances. Now, our so-called representative (Boebert) is so ignorant and arrogant that she not only doesn’t represent this area, she’s a complete embarrassment! If folks on the western slope want her to represent them, that’s on them. ) Pueblo County does not deserve to be lumped-in with such a large region as D-3, most of which is geographically and ideologically isolated from us. We in Pueblo County deserve representation that addresses our needs for economic development, educational opportunity, affordable housing, a clean environment, and quality public health policies - and one that celebrates the rich ethnic & cultural diversity that embodies our region. We need authentic representation - not pistol-packing conspiracy theorists. Please allow Pueblo to have some fair & authentic representation by separating our Congressional District from those who live on the other side the state.

I have lived here since 1976. Chaffee County is a small rural mountain county which values small family ranches and farms and the public lands which account for about 80% of the county’s land mass. Chaffee County (approximately 20,00 people) needs to be returned to the 3rd Congressional District where it was prior to 2004. The 3rd Congressional District shares the same rural and agricultural interests, mountainous geography, and vast public lands similar to Chaffee County. I believe the shared interests include: Prioritizing and supporting family ranches and farms; working to keep open spaces available to wildlife and for vistas; valuing and enjoying the natural resources in the county such as Browns Canyon National Monument, the Arkansas River which is a Gold Medal trout stream and the most popular whitewater river in the COUNTRY; lofty mountains and valley view scapes; the Pike-San Isabel National Forest; the Bureau of Land Management's Four Mile Travel Management Area which is a magnet for Front Range visitors; Buena Vista and Salida River Parks; Monarch Ski Area; small town living and a sense of community. Over the past several decades, Chaffee County voted to raise taxes to address the following public policy issues: Keep water in the valley; Prevent wild fires; Keep the view scape rural; Work with federal and state agencies on recreational impacts; Build and maintain new schools; Expand the hospital and medical care facilities. Chaffee County is very rural with federal and state lands making up 80% of the lands. The county includes: The Sawatch Mountain Range, including 12 of the Fourteeners; Rural, backcountry, and wilderness areas; The Arkansas River; Three high mountain passes--Trout Creek, Monarch and Cottonwood; Hundreds of miles of rural and USFS or BLM roads. The Continental Divide is the western boundary. Park County and Bighorn Sheep Canyon are the eastern and southern boundaries . Lake County (Leadville) is the northern. The commissioners should know the citizens of Chaffee County strongly support a return to the 3rd Congressional District. Ten years ago, many residents from both political parties and all walks of life testified at the redistricting hearings in support of having Chaffee County returned to the 3rd Congressional District. Regrettably, our voices were not heard. Our shared interests, public policy concerns, and geography make us compatible with other mountainous, rural and recreation-centered counties such as Lake & Gunnison that are currently in the 3rd Congressional District. We are asking that our voices be heard this time. Remove Chaffee County from the 5th Congressional District and return us to the 3rd Congressional District. The 5th District is way more urban, non-agricultural, congested and military based. We have not been heard in the 5th district.

Since 1976 I have lived in my small rural, mountain county (approximately 20,000 people which is up form 15000 when I moved here), Chaffee County, which values small family ranches and farms and the public lands which make up about 80% of the county’s land mass. We attract many tourists but DO NOT want to be Aspen or Vail. The current CO Senate District 5 including Chaffee, Lake, Gunnison, Eagle, Pitkin, Hinsdale, and Delta is a good fit for Chaffee County. These counties also share the same rural values. In addition to ranching and farming, tourism is a big economic driver. We should remain in this rural senate district. However, we are in a MUCH different house district. We hold little in common with Fremont County. Chaffee County is currently in CO House District 60. However, House District 61 would seem to better serve Chaffee County. HD 61 currently includes Lake, Pitkin, Summit, Gunnison and Delta. These nearby rural counties have similar geography and share the same needs and values as Chaffee encompassing both rural and tourism economies. HD 61 is also made up of counties with ranching, farming and recreational centered businesses. As a resident since 1976, I believe the shared interests include: loving the rural vistas and supporting family ranches and farms; working to keep open spaces; valuing and enjoying the mountains and rivers in the county (for 25 years I owned the 2nd rafting company in Chaffee County); enjoying living and working in small towns. Some of the community public policy concerns include: keeping water in our valleys; building affordable housing which is probably the #1 priority; needing broadband and other technologies to aid small businesses; preventing wild fires (our county actually passed a tax to help prevent wildfires, improve forest health, support ranchers and farmers, and make recreation sustainable on our open spaces) ; hiring educators who can AFFORD to live here; keep our public lands from being loved to death by outside visitors who are unaware of outdoor ethics and Leave No Trace Camping; and the challenge of maintaining hundreds of rural roads including USFS roads. During COVID our public health department health with SCIENCE rather than politics to help keep us safe. Chaffee County’s geography includes: federal and state lands which are 80% of the county, thus limiting our property tax ability; we are a main hub for hikers on the Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail; small ranches and farms in the valley try to exist in a high desert in terms of moisture; the surrounding Sawatch Mountain Range includes 12 of the Fourteeners (I've seen 90 cars at a trailhead to climb these peaks); rural and wilderness areas (three high mountain passes--Trout Creek, Monarch and Cottonwood; one of the newest national monuments (Browns Canyon); several wilderness areas; and the most popular whitewater river in the COUNTRY. Fremont County is more in line with Colorado Springs than Chaffee County is. Both have more federal employees at prisons and military bases than we do. It is VITAL the commissioners realize Chaffee County should be placed with other Colorado rural and mountainous counties in Senate District 5 and Colorado House District 61.

I urge you to keep Larimer and Boulder Counties together as one congressional district. These two counties have many common interests. Larimer and Boulder Counties have a high level of high tech and pharmaceutical employment jobs. These counties share many of the same cultural and revenue generating sectors. They both have a strong tourism industry, and they both have strong educational sectors in CSU and CU, with all the attendant research and high tech spin offs. They also share the same health system, University of Colorado Health. Larimer and Boulder Counties would have a population approximately 722,000 people, the desired number for a Congressional district. Districts should also be as compact as possible, which describes Larimer and Boulder Counties because they are contiguous with no intervening geographical dividing line. Larimer County is already a competitive county, another important characteristic of a Congressional District. Adding Weld to Larimer County as a Congressional District will cease to make it competitive.

Please allow rural areas their own districts and not be combined with more densely populated city areas. The interests of rural areas, which have specific needs that must be recognized and fully supported, and are necessary (i.e., food production) to the survival and well-being of all communities.

Dear Commissioners, Colorado is my home. I have lived in Denver, Lakewood and Delta. I have resided in Greeley for the past 16 years and have a second home in Hotchkiss. I have some thoughts on your redistricting challenge, based on my perspective acquired from living in metropolitan as well as rural areas of this state. I urge you to consider dividing Weld County, separating the areas most closely aligned with the I-25 corridor from the rural areas east of Highway 85. The metropolitan areas of Weld County, including Greeley, Evans, Frederick and Firestone, have much in common with areas in eastern Larimer and Boulder Counties. These include: towns cross-over county borders (e.g. Windsor, Erie, Longmont); shared hospital systems (UC Health, Banner); real estate (type, demand, pricing, low inventory and affordable housing challenges); shared retail corridors along I-25; universities and college campuses and students (University of Colorado, Colorado State University, Front Range Community College, Aims Community College, University of Northern Colorado); K-12 cross-overs (e.g. St. Vrain School District, charter schools and open enrollments cross counties); roads and highway corridors; water, including the sharing of the Poudre, Big Thompson and St. Vrain rivers; diverse economic base – education, construction, technologies, sustainable industries; healthcare; cultural opportunities; and last but not least, diverse populations—socioeconomic, races, ages, religions, etc. Eastern Weld County is characterized by farming and ranching, and oil and gas industry--more in line with other counties in eastern Colorado. Here is a link to a free public map tool developed by MGGG Redistricting Lab at Tufts University. I support this illustration of a scenario for the state legislative districts that offers congruency, competitive voting records in some areas, and communities of interest. It uses the 2019 data from the American Community Survey. https://districtr.org/plan/20286 As you think through your choices, thank you for considering my comments. Regards, Janine Reid

I am writing you to ask to keep Larimer and Boulder counties together and let us keep our representative. Larimer and boulder counties have very similar interests and our highly educated populations have commonalities in state universities, jobs, tech and environmental concerns. Weld county is closer to Arkansas in their views and priorities. Do what is best for the majority of Coloradoans and keep our district as is. We have one of the best and most effective leaders in Joe Neguse, and since we voted him into office it would be like stealing if you took that away from the voters. If it isn't broke, don't fix it! I hope those reading this can find other things to focus on and better ways to improve Colorado.