Boulder may tap SCFD, RTD for election costs (Post/News)

["Paul Tiger - LPBC - Outreach" <outreach@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I read this on Friday in the Post, now it's in the RMN. The gist of it is
that the Boulder Clerk doesn't know who owes what to whom and for how much.
Looks like the confusion is rampant. Boulder wants RTD to pay the costs, but
Fastracks wasn't a referendum it was an initiative. The group that ran the
initiative is responsible for the costs, not RTD. It appears that RTD has
paid most of the $675,000 that Boulder thinks it owed. RTD paying means that
we (taxpayers) paid the bill.
SCFD was a referendum and therefore it is just to demand the payment of
election costs. But the Boulder Clerks' Office doesn't seem to know how much
to write the bill for.

This is yet another example of the gross mismanagement of the 04 election in
BoCo. This one is easier for everyone to see, because it is about money. As
RICO investigators always like to say, "Follow the money".
===============
Rocky Mountain News

URL:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_3899646,0
0.html

Boulder may tap SCFD, RTD for election costs
By Charley Able, Rocky Mountain News
July 2, 2005

Boulder County is considering trying to recover thousands of dollars of
costs from the Nov. 2 election, which could spell more trouble for a
beleaguered organization that supports arts and culture in the metro area.

Boulder County initially billed the state for costs from the election that
should have been paid by the Regional Transportation District and the
Science and Cultural Facilities District.

The state paid the county the customary 35 cents per registered voter, but a
spreadsheet compiled by former elections manager Tom Halicki shows an unpaid
balance of $164,391.03.

Boulder County officials are considering billing the unpaid amount to the
two special districts, county spokesman Jim Burrus said.

State law prohibits state funds from being used for election costs except
for statewide candidates and ballot issues.

Nancy Wurl, of the Boulder County Clerk and Recorders Office, said it is
difficult at this point to determine the exact amount the Science and
Cultural Facilities District owes but indicated it could be "very
comparable" to the $86,139 of charges that Halicki says RTD rang up in
November's election.

Allowing for the $3,527 the arts district and RTD each repaid Boulder County
for printing the booklet that lists pro and con arguments on tax issues on
the ballot, and the $4,960 for election judges that RTD paid, the balance is
more than $150,000.

RTD already has settled most of the more than $675,000 of campaign costs it
owed seven other counties for its FasTracks ballot measure, which voters
approved in November, RTD spokesman Scott Reed said.

But SCFD still owes about $628,000, plus its debt to Boulder County, for its
successful campaign to continue collecting a sales tax that supports
metro-area groups, including the Denver Zoo, Denver Art Museum and smaller
arts groups in Denver and the suburbs.

SCFD administrator Mary Ellen Williams said, "I guess I'll wait until we get
the bill" before commenting on Boulder's claim.

Copyright 2005, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.