In two separate special elections, the Mancos Conservation District and the High Desert Conservation District have each proposed a mill levy increase for property owners within their boundaries. If the issues pass, and if they're certified by the Montezuma County Commissioners, tax increases of 0.5 mills will be levied in the respective districts starting next year. One mill is equal to one dollar per thousand dollars of an assessed property value, according to Montezuma County Assessor Leslie Bugg.
The deadline to submit ballots is May 8th. KSJD's Austin Cope spoke with representatives of the conservation districts to learn more about what the tax increases would support, and how the special elections work. Victoria Petersen Lewis is the District Manager for the High Desert Conservation District, which covers most of Montezuma County, excluding the Mancos Conservation District and parts of Cortez and Dolores. Click below to listen to their interview.
Erin Bohm, chair of the non-profit Partners for Ag Education and Conservation, also discussed her group's support of Mancos Conservation District's proposed mill levy. Click below to listen to their interview.
This post has been updated.
