Letter: RETT vital to Aspen’s arts arena
We are writing to urge Aspen voters to please vote “yes” to extend the Wheeler Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT), ballot issue 2E.
The Wheeler RETT is not an annual tax on Aspen residents or visitors. It is a one-time, 0.5 percent tax paid to the city when an individual or entity purchases property within the city limits. This tax principally supports the operation of the Wheeler Opera House, one of Aspen’s treasures, but it also benefits the arts and cultural organizations that make Aspen a world renowned destination.
The RETT tax initiative has supported the arts in Aspen in substantial amounts for more than 15 years. The funding from RETT has been transformative and has made a significant impact on Aspen’s many arts organizations. Please remember that if RETT is not extended, it will be forever lost, due to the restrictions imposed by Colorado’s TABOR law, passed in 1992, prohibiting the creation of new real estate transfer taxes. It is Aspen’s outstanding arts and cultural organizations that set it apart from other resort communities. Losing the Wheeler RETT would put many of Aspen’s cherished arts institutions in jeopardy. We urge you to support Aspen’s vibrant arts organizations by voting “yes” to extend the Wheeler RETT.
Alan Fletcher
President and CEO, Aspen Music Festival and School
James Horowitz
Founder/President/CEO, Jazz Aspen Snowmass
Jean-Philippe Malaty
Executive director, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Paige Price
Executive artistic director, Theatre Aspen
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More kindness, less judgment with Mulcahy
I would like to make a comment to Aspen-Pitkin County Housing Authority, city of Aspen, Aspen Skiing Co., etc. with the ongoing Lee Mulcahy drama that has infested our community. In fact, it really applies…