LTE: 5 County Commissioners Would Give Voice to a Growing Douglas County
As a 20 year resident of Parker, I have watched Douglas County grow and prosper over that time. My sons went to school here and my husband and I are now retired here. The population of Douglas County has grown from 260,870 in 2006 to 405,741 in 2026. In 2019 the budget for the county was $421.1 million. In 2026 the budget has grown to $650 million. That is an increase in the budget of over $228 million in just 7 years.
The population and the budget have grown and will keep growing. The one thing that hasn’t grown is the voice of the voters. This county still only has 3 commissioners. Douglas County has had the same number of commissioners since the creation of the county. With a 3 commissioner board, a majority of 2 can decide anything that comes before the board including our $650 million budget. Do you think that only 2 people should be able to decide where our $650,000,000 goes? This does not seem like fair representation for a county of over 400,000 residents.
Due to the growth in both population and budget, there is now a grassroots effort to get an initiative on the November ballot so the voters of Douglas County can decide if they want to expand from the current 3 commissioners to 5 commissioners. There is a petition circulating in Douglas County to get this on the ballot. This is democracy in action. Your signature on this petition is your voice in local matters. The voters should decide this issue.
Please learn more about this petition at 3to5Dougco.com. There is a schedule on the website that lets you know where the petition carriers will be and when. This is a nonpartisan initiative. Petition carriers are Republican, Democrat and Unaffiliated voters who want the voters to have a voice in the county.
As a resident and taxpayer, I want my voice heard. I have signed the petition and also became a petition carrier because it was that important to me.
Look for the 3 to 5 petition. We are already halfway to our goal. All signatures need to be collected by July 15th. As we approach July 4th let’s celebrate democracy by getting this on the ballot.
Kim Carroll
Parker
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I've been here since 1991, when there were still lots of places for horses. Not any more, and most out of reach because of rampant, unaccountable development.
I too have signed the petition. If anyone needs an example of why we need 5, ask them what they thought about the Home Rule election last year that no one wanted, including the $750,000 to get an election to shut it down.
I'm with you, Kim, and I circulate the petition.