Town Of Kremmling Proves It's Smarter Than All Other County Governments

From: grandcountyscoop.blogspot.com

In a move sure to aggravate local governments and "community" money laundering groups all over Grand County, the Town of Kremmling has rebuked the East Grand School District's offer to join their ad hoc tax committee.

Back in February, I sent a letter to the towns, school district and commissioners outlining how I thought this push to "save" the schools was going to end up backfiring. The comments from the Town of Kremmling are an official indictment against not only mixing tax funds to save schools, but against a push to raise sales taxes and illegally funnel the money to the schools. As Mayor Thomas Clark writes:

“Firstly, the Public School Finance Act provides a mechanism for school funding - property taxes. The School District may seek voter approval to raise and expend “override” property tax revenues. The Act does not provide authority for a School District to impose a sales tax. 

“While the County may, with voter approval, impose a sales tax, it is not authorized to fund public school operating expenses with these revenues. Creatively, perhaps, the County could ask the voters to approve a sales tax increase, deposit the funds in the General Fund, and make a donation to a non-profit organization. This non-profit, could, in-turn, donate the funds to the school."(SHDN)


There's that pesky laundering coming into the picture again. And how much would the Grand Foundation take off the top of the funds as a 'handling' fee? I can see all kinds of moral hazard in front of this issue, and it appears the Town of Kremmling does too.