Letter: Thanks for supporting jail sales tax extension

Editor:

Election night was a historic night for the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. By an overwhelming majority, the voters approved an extension of the 1997 sales tax to help fund jail operations. On behalf of the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office, I want to express my gratitude for this show of support.

Together, the residents of Larimer County and the Sheriff’s Office have faced some significant difficulties over the last four years. From the recession through the seemingly endless natural disasters, we’ve all experienced unexpected challenges and we’ve remained committed to overcoming them.

Like many of you, we’ve become accustomed to doing more with less in our jobs. While experiencing declining revenues and the possibility of losing a significant revenue source, we watched the county population swell by more than 30,000 people. But we’ve remained committed to serving you.

Through traditional media sources and through social media, we’ve done our best to share with you the innovative approaches we’ve taken to delivering law enforcement, jail, fire/rescue and court services in order to maximize the services we provide. I’m extremely proud of the work done by the men and women of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office on your behalf.

Through this voter-approved jail sales tax extension, you have entrusted us with your hard-earned dollars to continue delivering high quality public safety services for many years to come. I assure you that we will keep working with the county commissioners to spend these dollars wisely, with the outcome of a safe and secure community as our goal. We greatly appreciate your support.

Justin Smith
Larimer County Sheriff