For Immediate Release February 26, 1997

Great Outdoors Colorado

by Floyd Ciruli

Since 1991, Colorado has been the fifth fastest-growing state in the nation. Some of our suburban and mountain communities have doubled in population during the last 10 years. Luckily, in the face of this onslaught, Colorado voters reclaimed lottery revenue in 1992 to help protect the beauty and vitality of our outdoors.

Unfortunately, the sate legislature is debating crippling this program with a constitutional amendment to divert funds from the outdoors to K-12 school construction.

This is the third time voters have had to defend lottery dollars for the outdoors. Lottery dollars were promised for parks and recreation when the lottery was originally passed by voters. But the legislature rapidly diverted half the funds into prison construction. I managed the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) campaign of 1992 when voters for a second time said, "Put our lottery dollars into parks." The leading arguments in favor were two-fold: protect parks, open space, wildlife and recreation; and, "Aren’t you tired of politicians saying one thing and doing another?"

The advertisement that appeared around the sate in 1992 challenging the legislature’s credibility read "12 years ago, we all agreed the money from the lottery should go to preserve the natural beauty of our state. [Picture of the new maximum security prison] This is not what we had in mind." The amendment won with 58 percent of the vote.

GOCO has distributed funds statewide for big and small projects, helping to meet crucial needs. It has built trails and parks and preserved open space and wildlife habitat. Colorado children have benefited directly from city and county recreation and environmental education programs. Without GOCO money, critical parts of the Foothills from Larimer to El Paso counties will not be saved from development. Nor will the Platte, Colorado, Roaring Fork and Arkansas river valleys be protected and enhanced without the new GOCO Legacy grants.

The advocates of this cut in funds wish to help offset shortfalls in school construction. But $32 million spread around the state’s 176 school districts would barely build a few classrooms (Jefferson and Denver counties passed more than $500 million in bonds since 1989, and both are considering additional bonds this year). Whereas a loss of $32 million in open space, parks, wildlife and recreation funding equals a cut of 30 percent.

Why are some legislators making another attempt to divert the funds? One of the most persistent attitudes GOCO faced in 1991 and 1992 was the legislature’s view, especially among some senior members and the capital development committee, that lottery dollars are their funds to dole out to projects they select.

Sponsors of the latest raid on lottery dollars argue that voters should have another chance to choose between the outdoors and schools. Voters in 1992 knew there were competing interests for the funds yet still voted in favor of the GOCO amendment. Opponents at that time made clear that prisons and higher education construction would stop receiving lottery dollars. The GOCO amendment addressed prior claims on revenues by paying off bonds for prison construction and other commitments until 1998. But beginning in 1999, the outdoors was promised the full measure of funds without further diversion from the legislature.

The GOCO statute caps outdoors funds and gives any extra lottery proceeds back to the state’s general fund. If needed, those would be the best funds to use for additional capital construction for schools without damaging our outdoor and recreation programs.

While most politicians favor school construction, some hard questions need to be asked before the state begins to commit millions to local construction projects. We already make a massive state commitment to K-12 operating costs, giving it 60 percent of local property taxes and 40 percent of the state budget. What districts will receive funds? Will there be accountability? Schools have been built in this state that were poorly planned and over budget.

In addition, many school jurisdictions tend to under fund maintenance of their buildings, instead spending the money on operating costs.

The fact that some local voters are failing to support capital projects for schools is not necessarily a bad policy. It is the essence of local accountability. One would need to examine local capital proposals in detail before a judgment could be made. Indeed, most K-12 capital proposals win approval. (Nearly two-thirds of school bond elections have passed since 1993.)

The outdoors and schools should not have to compete for funds. In fact, the outdoors is our greatest classroom—the place where our children learn some of their most important lessons. We’ll have to see whether the legislature remembers the voter’s lessons and continues to support Colorado’s great outdoors.

Floyd Ciruli is the president of Ciruli Associates, a Denver-based polling and public policy firm. In 1992 his firm directed the Great Outdoors Colorado campaign. He wrote this article for the Independence Institute, a free-market think-tank located in Golden, Colorado.

This article, from the Independence Institute staff, fellows and research network, is offered for your use at no charge. Independence Feature Syndicate articles are published for educational purposes only, and the authors speak for themselves. Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily representing the views of the Independence Institute or as an attempt to influence any election or legislative action.
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