By SYLVIA LOBATO
CONEJOS COUNTY — County voters will be asked to decide a sales tax proposition in November.
The tax, suggested by residents several months ago and brought before the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), will fund needed improvements in the sheriff’s department, as well as essential monies for the county ambulance.
State law authorizes BOCCs to levy a county wide sales tax upon the approval of registered voters and the Conejos commissioners have risen to this need.
The BOCC determined that it is in the best interests of present and future residents of the county that a specific new sales tax at a rate of two and one-half percent be created and imposed to fund the sheriff’s office and to further fund the Conejos County ambulance service.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) staff recently told the commissioners that collections and other funds have been slow coming in.
Funds for the sheriff’s office are to provide law enforcement operations including, but not limited to, hiring, employing, training and equipping deputies, investigators, detention staff, animal control officers and civilian support staff. These needs were amply and vocally stated by members of an audience of some 200 in Sanford last fall.
The tax monies would help with conducting investigations and provide for general operating expenses of the sheriff’s office, problems cited by past sheriffs and Robert Gurule, the current interim sheriff.
A new sheriff will be elected on Nov. 6, the same date the tax referendum will come before the voters.
Obsolete and failing equipment has also been an issue, since the main control system in the jail has been showing its age and in need of repairs. The panel, which operates jail electronics, has been repaired to allow intercom and one-on-one communications between jail staff, but the electronic door controls still have problems.

Emergency medical staff
The proposed sales tax would also directly fund the Conejos County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for hiring, employing and equipping EMS staff and support staff, as well as replace obsolete and failing equipment necessary to EMS, such as replacing and purchasing ambulances and providing general operating expenses for Conejos County EMS

Use of sales tax revenues
Voters will be asked if revenues generated from the sales tax, as well as revenues from investment of the of those revenues would constitute a voter-approved revenue change and an exception to the revenue and spending limits set forth in the Colorado Constitution.
This is the TABOR (Taxpayers Bill of Rights) approved by voters in 1992 to limit the amount that can be retained and spent.
A special fund, the Conejos County Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Fund would be created and all revenues from the sales tax would be deposited into the fund.

The question will require a “Yes” or “No” vote.