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Letter: Give credit where due: Thanks to Eagle-Vail Board for their efforts

You’ll have bigger paychecks starting Feb. 15

Here’s something to brighten up a dreary January: The IRS recently completed its new tax withholding tables to reflect recently passed tax cuts. Employees across the country will see bigger paychecks by Feb. 15 at the latest as less money is taken out by the government in taxes. According to Yahoo Finance, a person earning $60,000 a year can expect to earn $112 more per month. If they have kids, then that number will be higher.

More money in people’s pockets will help pay for bills, which nearly half of Americans struggle with. It will cover the cost of a monthly smartphone plan. Who wouldn’t want that taken care of? Tell your significant other; tax cuts should also mean a nicer Valentine’s Day gift this year.



Lois Landgraf

Colorado State Representative

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Fountain

Give credit where it’s due

I have been an Eagle-Vail homeowner since building our home here in 1994. Although I still practice medicine in Dallas, we spend as much time as we can in our mountain community and love our time there. As a non-resident owner, we have relied on our friends and neighbors in the community to keep us informed about Eagle-Vail Property Owner Association (EVPOA) issues and actions.

I was concerned we had missed something after reading the letter to the editor (“Eagle-Vail officials are tearing community apart,” Wednesday, Jan. 17). After reviewing the actions of the Board of the EVPOA over the past two years, I feel strongly the authors of that letter are misinformed and misrepresenting the progress that has been made. I appreciated the clarification provided in the letter to the editor (“Give existing Eagle-Vail board credit for efforts and time spent representing community,” Monday, Jan. 22).

Since Judd Watts, Jake Jacobson and Steve Daniels have joined the board they have:

• Improved the management structure by hiring Bold to provide community association management services and eliminated the community association managers position.

• Enhanced our public facilities including improvements at the tennis and pickle ball courts/ building and at Pavilion “Mikaela’s” Park.

• Lowered our annual dues from $335 to $150 and returned $200,000 to the property owners.

• Eliminated the $200,000 blank check we were sending to the Eagle-Vail Metro District without promise of return.

These accomplishments benefit all property owners in Eagle-Vail. I support the current board and appreciate the hard and successful work it has done for our community. I urge our resident and non-resident members of the Eagle-Vail community to do the same.

William R. Lumry, M.D.

Eagle-Vail

Selective ethics gave us Trump

I read Jack Van Ens column regarding Presidential Half Truths and President Trump. I noted the opening sentence — “Telling the truth reveals strong, moral personal character.” The article went on to blast the current president for his “false and misleading claims” and “fabrications.” Perhaps I missed his earlier column about former President Obama on the same subject.

Did not President Obama tell the nation “If you like your doctor or health care provider, you can keep it”? That was stated many, many times — absolutely not true — as we all have learned. On George Stephanopoulos’ TV show, President Obama smiled and assured us several times and under close questioning that the individual mandate was not a tax — and then had his lawyers testify before the Supreme Court that this was to be implemented under the government’s taxation policy. I could go on and on.

I find this selective outrage very disappointing. To the disbelief of many liberals, Donald Trump won the presidency fair and square. And they can’t get over it. As good citizens, we should try to be honest brokers and play it straight with the facts. This kind of selective ethics among the so-called elites is what created President Trump. Get over it.

Richard Landy

Edwards

Stay the course on Eagle-Vail POA board

Hello friends and neighbors.

After recent letters to the editors and the candidate forum, I wanted to straighten out a few significant issues that appear to me as inconsistent with the facts or positions of the candidates.

The first myth is that the current five-person Eagle-Vail Property Owners Association board of directors, after hiring a professional Community Association Manager for some reason broke away from their previous and recently revised “Joint Board of Governance Agreement” with the Eagle-Vail Metro District. I am not sure where this claim originated. I attend all the meetings, whether held jointly or, more recently, separately. I can tell you I have never advocated splitting of the two boards, which started around 2009. No one on the EVPOA board has ever advocated the splitting of the two boards’ practice of meeting jointly .

I see it more that the Eagle-Vail Metro District had its feelings hurt because we changed our old arrangement to pay half of Jeff Layman’s salary and benefits to be our CAM. After a lengthy search process we hired Bold Real Estate Solutions LLC, which saved property owners significant dollars. The Board of the Eagle-Vail Metro District took its ball and went home, resulting in both boards having significantly shorter meetings — a pleasant unforeseen consequence.

Secondly, I heard the recently formed “Smiley Face” group pounding their fists demanding to pay higher dues to the EVPOA. I read that the three incumbents running for re-election are ruining the community by reducing dues and surpluses. Well, we could ask for more dues and keep your money if it was not for our governing documents and legal rules.

And, for the record, the vote to dramatically reduce dues and return surpluses was unanimous. Not just the votes of Jake, Steve and Judd but also Mike Kieler and Karl Krueger voting to correct this long-standing problem of compliance with the laws of the land. So how will Smiley Faces deal with Mike Kieler, a member of the Smiley Face party, reducing dues crediting property owners dues for 2018 when the Smiley Face party is advocating the opposite. In fact, Mike Kieler advocated no dues be paid by property owners in 2018, but after board discussion it was agreed to reduce dues to $50 not $0 for 2018.

My hope was that after the EVPOA got its finances in order and dramatically cut costs that the Eagle-Vail Metro District would follow our example and get their house finances in order. I have been advocating for a couple of years now that the metro district start looking at cost-cutting measures and belt-tightening, but have only seen it discussed with no significant changes. In fact, the Eagle-Vail Metro District has recently contracted with local consultant IKS to perform yet another survey to see where they can find more money by either trying to create a sales tax or increasing our current mill levy tax.

Thank you for your support. Please re-elect Steve Daniels, Judd Watts and Jake Jacobson.

Jake Jacobson

Eagle-Vail

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