Donnelly wants public safety dollars

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Republican candidate Tom Donnelly of Loveland calls himself a fiscal conservative who will bring a business-minded approach to budgeting.

"I think we have to do a better job with taxpayers' money," said Donnelly, 37. "We need to protect property owners and taxpayers, and we need to work together for our community."

Donnelly is seeking the District 3 position on the Board of County Commissioners. His opponent is Roger Hoffmann. District 3 represents the southern third of the county, but all county voters cast ballots in the race.

Donnelly currently serves as the elected Larimer County surveyor, a part-time job with a stipend of $5,500 a year. He also works as a private land surveyor, and he served on the volunteer Loveland Planning Commission from April 2004 through December 2007.

In discussing the direction of the tight 2009 county budget, Donnelly said he believes the sheriff's department needs more money to retain employees and not to cut current staffing. For example, he said, the cost of training deputies cannot be absorbed over and over again.

"Public safety is going to take too large a hit in 2009," he said.

County surveys indicate public safety is citizens' top concern, Donnelly noted. "We need to find a way to fund that," he added but offered no specific cuts in other departments to make up the difference.

The candidate also said he supports the proposed 0.25 percent sales tax to pay for mental health treatment and substance abuse programs. "We need to treat mental health cases outside the jail," he said.

Donnelly said he favors giving voters a chance to determine funding for regional transportation projects. His opponent, he said, withdrew support from such a proposal last year.

"I do not believe that neglecting our roads so that drivers are forced from their cars and onto buses and bikes is the balanced approach desired by the majority of citizens," he said.

Donnelly criticized the state law that allows tax increment financing for new development, which then diverts tax revenue from county coffers. "Taxes withheld from the county should be reduced to reflect increased demand for services generated by a TIF-funded project," he said.

A solution will require the county to work with the cities, Donnelly said, adding that there "wasn't enough leadership among elected officials to direct these issues."

Donnelly supports the Northern Integrated Supply Project now under review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. NISP participants prefer a project that would include two new reservoirs, Glade northwest of LaPorte and Galeton northeast of Greeley. Glade would be filled by diverting water from the Poudre River. He said he believes any negative impacts from NISP can be mitigated.

"We need to keep northern Colorado water in northern Colorado," Donnelly said of the project.

Donnelly also contended Hoffmann, his opponent, has an "extreme stance on growth," which would limit new business development. "That's not how the average family in Larimer County feels," he said