Fiscal Responsibility
Spending is up. Population is flat. This comes down to the town’s lack of fiscal discipline.
The Town of Crested Butte's own budget documents show spending growing far faster than the community it serves. Before asking voters for a new tax, the Town should account for where the money has gone.
53%
Growth in town spending
Town spending grew from $15.2 million in 2019 to $28.7 million in 2026, almost doubling in 8 years. The full-time population held near 1,639.
27%
Growth in staffing and payroll
Ongoing personnel commitments are the fastest-growing part of the budget, and they’re recurring, not one-time.
$17,500
Spending per full-time resident
At $28.7 million against roughly 1,639 full-time residents, this works out to about $17,500 per resident, up from roughly $9,700 in 2019. Population growth is not what is driving the budget.
Why it matters
Live within the budget we have.
When a budget grows far faster than the population it serves, the first question isn't "where do we find more money?" It is "what changed?" Crested Butte's expenditures have risen sharply while the number of full-time residents has held steady.
Measure 2B is being presented as the fix. But even in the Town's own projections, it covers only part of the gap, and it does nothing to slow the trajectory that created the gap in the first place.
We're not disputing that there is real financial need from the town. We're arguing that a line-by-line, public review of priorities has to come before anyone is asked for more.
What the Town shows, and what it means
Figures below are as presented in the Town Council's own materials.
What the Town says
Affordable housing and regular town up-keep requires new revenue.
What it means
Housing is a shared priority here and the community wants to come together to find a shared solution. A tax structured around who owns a home rather than who uses the town is the wrong instrument. More effort needs to be put into finding an approach that funds housing without dividing neighbors.
What the Town says
Spending grew from $15.2 million in 2019 to $28.7 million in 2026.
What it means
Spending almost doubled in eight years for a town whose full-time population did not grow. Which decisions drove the increase and which would the Town make again?
What the Town says
Per-capita spending in Crested Butte is on par with other Colorado mountain towns.
What it means
Per-capita comparisons across towns with different service loads, different tourism bases, and different debt histories tell you very little on their own. What matters locally is the direction of our own line, and ours is climbing faster than the community it serves.
What the town says
A new Marshal’s station is needed.
What it means
Public safety facilities can be a legitimate need. The question is scope, timing, and financing. Capital decisions of this size deserve their own public conversation and their own funding plan, not a general tax that then covers everything at once.
What the town says
Money is needed for Jerry’s Gym and the town’s investment in recreation.
What it means
Amenities are part of what makes Crested Butte good to live in. They are also discretionary, and they carry ongoing operating costs long after the ribbon cutting. Those recurring costs belong in the same review as everything else.
What we’re hearing, and what the budget shows
The claim
The Town has already done everything it can to manage costs.
The numbers
The Town's own budget document shows spending and staffing rising year over year. Cost management means slowing that curve, not adding a new revenue source on top of it.
The claim
Second homeowners don’t contribute to the community.
The numbers
Second homeowners already pay property taxes, school levies, and sales taxes, and donate to a large share of local nonprofits and small businesses.
The claim
Voters support this approach.
The numbers
Crested Butte voters turned down a similar measure in 2021. Nothing about the underlying budget discipline has changed since then.