A Voter’s Guide to the Nov. 2019 SPET Ballot
Brought to you by the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance
SPET 101: Some Basic Background
- Specific Purpose Excise Tax (SPET) measures allow our community to approve (or veto) important investments in our community recommended by our elected representatives
- These investments are funded with the 6th penny of sales tax, which is mostly paid by visitors
- You may approve as many as you like, or all of them – they don’t “compete” against each other
- Early voting began on September 26 and runs through election day November 5, 2019
- Make sure you turn over your ballot and vote on the measures on both sides!
Here’s the Alliance take on the 10 measures on the November SPET ballot:
- Downtown Water Quality Improvement Infrastructure – Cache Creek Project ($2M) →FOR. Runoff pollutes and degrades our streams, which humans and wildlife rely on.
- Core Services Vehicle Maintenance Facility ($18.5M) →FOR. Snowplows and buses are critical to safety and easing summer traffic congestion.
- Teton County Courthouse ($2M) →FOR. Investing in planning now will let the county maintain a safe justice system.
- “Road to Zero Waste” Recycling Center & Composting Facility ($2.5M) →FOR. Waste is our largest export, and we can do better.
- Wildlife Firefighting Apparatus Replacement ($1.6M) →FOR. Did you watch the Saddle Butte Fire? That was scary close to everything in town.
- Gregory Lane – Street, Stormwater Infrastructure, and Safe Route to School ($8.5M) →FOR. That street is not safe for kids, and also pollutes Flat Creek.
- Community Housing Opportunities ($5.5M) →FOR. We believe in a future for Jackson Hole that includes a thriving middle class.
- History Museum Building – Genevieve Block ($4.4M) →FOR. Congratulations to the Land Trust for saving the block! Now, we can create a permanent home for our community’s history on the block.
- Recreation Center Expansion, Climbing Gym, Stormwater Treatment ($22M) →FOR. The Rec Center is an incredible community asset, especially for those without means – and this expansion includes a climbing gym and improving water quality through stormwater treatment.
- Safe Wildlife Crossings ($10M) →FOR. Wildlife crossings work. We’ve all either been in a wildlife-vehicle collision or know someone who has. Crossings (tunnels and bridges, with fencing) can reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions by 90%. This is our most important initiative this year. Vote yes and come volunteer with us!
Paid for by the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance.
