The Issues

Fixing Fountain’s Roads: Sean's 3 Point Plan

I'm doing more than just talking about fixing our roads. I'm actually presenting a plan. Unlike other candidates, my plan does not involve immediately raising taxes, or passing off bike lane and roundabout pet projects as road repairs. There are many avenues we can exhaust before turning to the PPRTA and raising taxes.

Read my plan below:

1) Audit the Budget, Reprioritize Funding

Some candidates want to immediately raise taxes by joining the PPRTA to fix the problem. I disagree. The first step to fixing our roads, before we consider joining the PPRTA, is changing how we spend the money we already have. We spend the same on roads as some cities a third our size. Of a $44 million general budget, only about $1 million goes to actual road repair and maintenance. Meanwhile, we spend more on debt services than on roads, and hundreds of thousands on things like park bathrooms. The simplest first step is to audit the budget, cut waste, and reprioritize spending so roads and neighborhoods come first. The city has to tighten its belt before it asks you to tighten yours.

2) Reprioritize New Revenue

After we reprioritize money that is already in our budget, we must identify how much new tax revenue is coming into our city from new businesses. There are slated to be 32 new businesses coming to Fountain in the near future, which will bring in substantial sums of new tax revenue. On council, we must take advantage of this new money by ensuring as much of it as possible is allocated towards road repairs and maintenance.

3) Intergovernmental & Private Agreements

Fountain has already demonstrated how public-private partnerships can improve our roads. For example, the city and local trash disposal providers worked together to repair Link Road, with providers contributing substantially to replace a major stretch. In addition, we can renew and expand our ongoing intergovernmental agreements with Fort Carson to secure even more funds.

I will work to have council engage in more opportunities like this: collaborative partnerships that bring funding to each neighborhood in ways that make sense for the neighborhood, and our private partners.

Other Issues

Keeping Fountain Clean

While homeowners are responsible for maintaining weeds and debris on their personal property, curbs, sidewalks, and street gutters fall under the city’s responsibility.

Repairing curbs and gutters go hand in hand with fixing our roads. Currently, the city has a 50/50 cost-share with residents for curb repairs, but funding has run out. The city must allocate adequate resources to cover its share of these repairs, and can do so directly alongside increased road funding.

Fountain is also one of the few cities in Colorado facing a persistent weed problem along neighborhood sidewalks. To address this, the city should ensure Public Works and Code Enforcement increase weed and debris removal efforts, working hand in hand with increased investment towards curb and sidewalk maintenance on part of the city.

Revitalizing Small Business

Fountain should be a place where anyone can easily start a small business. Right now, Fountain has some of the highest office rents and startup costs in Colorado.

I will fight for our current and future small business owners by fostering a business-friendly environment. We need to do everything we can to lower rent and other startup costs by streamlining administrative processes, and partnering with local businesses, investors, and economic development groups to build more business centers, and find the best investment strategies and opportunities. By prioritizing good governance and strategic partnerships, we can attract a new generation of entrepreneurs, regain a competitive edge with our neighboring communities, and build a healthy quality of life for Fountain residents.