There is always something to complain about, and locally, the favorites are wind, taxes, and dirt roads. Yet to the regionās inexperienced denizens, those three favorite subjects of gripe are interconnected, and all three worsen during extreme drought.
Copper Gulch Road and the Oak Creek Grade are two roads in particular that have been receiving public and verbal scorn in Custer and Fremont Counties over the past fall and winter. Both of these dirt roads connect Custer and Fremont and run roughly north-south. Over the past several decades, the full- and part-time populations in the dry mountain region have more than doubled.
Yet despite the population growth, rising property values on the land that is connected by these dirt county roads are not enough to compensate for maintenance by rural road crews in both counties. As Custer County Treasurer Virginia Trujillo stated in a meeting last year, āThe county collects about $50 worth of property taxes that are used for Road and Bridgeās budget for each rural property. Thatās it. I try to explain to taxpayers that it is about ten feet worth of road grading.ā
In Colorado, residential properties have received decades of preferential treatment compared to commercial or industrial property taxes. While it certainly doesnāt feel that way when paying those property taxes, residential property taxes are roughly a tenth of business property taxes. The average residential property in the region’s rural areas costs $1,000 a year (the average business property tax is $10,000). Half of that goes to school districts. The rest goes to the county general fund, and fire and EMS districts, and about 5% goes to road budgets.
Another complication is that populations in each county use these dirt roads to get to city locations. For example, people on Copper Gulch use the dirt portion in Custer County to get to Westcliffe, but they pay property taxes in Fremont County. The reverse is true of those who live along the Oak Creek Grade, as people from Custer County use the dirt portion to drive to CaƱon City in Fremont County.
But regardless of population location, the amount of money collected from the thousands of residential properties that drive on these roads is not enough. So the counties pull money from other areas to try to maintain these roads. Yet, road crews can never keep up with the washboard and dust from these busy byways.
Drought plays a big role in the condition of dirt roads. As the dirt dries out, it breaks apart more easily under tire tread and creates ridges known as washboards. While vehicle speed and usage increase the washboarding effect, drought amplifies the problems. The drier the roads become, the more money the counties must pump into maintaining the dirt tracks, further straining tax revenues. Of course, many ask why the counties just donāt pave these areas, and the answer is the eyewatering cost of paving a new road.
Right now, it is estimated that converting the dirt portion of Copper Gulch Road to chip seal would cost $150,000 per mile, or $1.5 million. That figure represents almost the entire yearly budget of Custer Countyās Road and Bridge department. Converting the Oak Creek Grade to chip seal would cost almost $10 million due to engineering challenges.
Even if the roads were chip-sealed, property taxes collected would not increase, and future maintenance would put counties further in a financial hole. While there is an argument to be made that increases in sales taxes from more business might offset these capital outlays, it would not be enough to justify the project and the ongoing maintenance. Further complicating the sales tax idea is that 60% of the homes in these rural areas are secondary homes. For the most part, those who use these homes in the summer bring food and supplies with them and do not meaningfully impact sales tax revenue throughout the year.
There is no good news to be had on the conversation of dirt roads. The costs of maintaining the roads continue to increase. The cost of oil and diesel is surging, and the drought shows no signs of ending. And the chances that local voters would approve a major tax increase for the Road and Bridge departments are zero.
So, drivers need to slow down, get better tires, and support the road crews who are fighting a losing battle ā week after week ā as they skillfully do what they can with the limited resources at their disposal.
ā Jordan Hedberg
