To the editor:
I found Scott Hunt’s letter in last week’s Bulletin to be misleading at best. Let’s go through the points one by one:
1. “What types of spending are being hidden from you?” The answer is none. Detailed public budget meetings are held in the fourth quarter each year as part of the next year’s budget preparation process.
The budget is also available on the city website. I find the statement to be false.
2. “Why don’t they want Manitou residents to know how much money they collect from marijuana sales tax revenues?” The city tracks sales tax receipts and provides a breakdown by category.
One category, Other in City, is used for the small number of businesses, such as retail marijuana, that don’t fit into the five other categories. In 2013, the total sales tax revenue for Other in City was about $32,000 out of a total of about $2,117,000. That was the last full year without any retail marijuana sales.
For 2020, Other in City was about $3,968,000 out of a total of $7,444,000. Extrapolating from 2013, it is safe to say less than 95 percent of Other in City is retail marijuana. I find the above statement to be partly true, as the available retail marijuana data is not 100 percent separated within the category.
3. “How many millions of dollars does City Council not report to the public?” The answer is zero. The budget process is exhaustive and open to the public, and the budget is available on the city website.
Also, the city publishes monthly sales tax revenues and a copy is available from the finance office and published in the Bulletin. I find the statement to be false.
I voted against this ballot measure, primarily due to the location. I hope the above information is helpful for those yet to vote.