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Rob Douglas

For 20 years, Steamboat resident Rob Douglas was a Washington, D.C. private detective specializing in homicide, political corruption and terrorism. Since 1998, Douglas has been a commentator on local, state and national politics in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Colorado. To reach Rob Douglas, email rdouglas@SteamboatToday.com.

Steamboat Springs — The Steamboat Springs City Council meeting Tuesday evening was marked by two competing odoriferous periods, each as pungent as the other. However, the skunk whose stench permeated Citizens' Hall from outside eventually was trumped by the smell of politics within.

The main event on the council's card was a final bout between those in favor and those opposed to a proposed law prohibiting building-use tax audits for building permits issued before March 10. At stake was a $4.6 million tax purse.

The match featured verbal mud wrestling between tag-team factions from the reigning council champs and the previously dethroned title holders, captained by Cari Hermacinski and Susan Dellinger - respectively, if not respectfully. Ms. Dellinger, perhaps still smarting from being unceremoniously ejected by voters from the council ring last November, demonstrated an especially keen penchant for political low blows.

After the dust settled, council members Walter Magill and Jon Quinn - despite their crying foul over Ms. Dellinger's rhetorical tactics before and after the final tally - abandoned fellow members Hermacinski, Loui Antonucci and Scott Myller by means of a political flip-flop that resulted in defeat of the ordinance.

While flip-flopping has stifled the aspirations of more than a few politicians in recent years, we're all better served when we have open-minded elected officials who are willing to think issues through and change their minds when presented with information they find persuasive. Fortunately, the current council seems willing to listen and change its collective mind, and it has done so a number of times during its short tenure.

And, contrary to the bellicose assertions of a pugnacious few that evening, the building-use tax audit issue can be argued fairly from either side. But those in opposition to the proposed ordinance won the debate, and the majority who acted civilly should be commended for their behavior and their activism in support of their goal.

However, although the political sparring was great entertainment, it may have overshadowed several significant issues that came to light and are worthy of further inquiry.

The first issue is the revelation that, for the past 10 years, Assistant Finance Director Bob Litzau has attempted unsuccessfully to get a host of finance directors and city managers, serving prior to Lisa Rolan and Alan Lanning, to enforce the building-use tax audit provisions.

As reported in yesterday's Steamboat Pilot & Today, Mr. Litzau stated: "I have been trying to implement a system of auditing use-tax deposits for 10 years. Why it was not carried forward, I cannot answer."

This is no small matter. Tens of millions of tax dollars have gone uncollected by the city because past finance directors and city managers were not simply ignorant of the law - more on that in a moment - but because they intentionally decided not to assist Mr. Litzau when he sought their help in enforcing the law.

And although it's probably too much to hope that we'll ever learn why a series of city officials ignored Mr. Litzau's pleas, the current council should take steps to ensure that never can happen again. A procedure should be put in place encouraging city staff to bypass their superiors and report directly to council - without fear of retribution - if an issue impacting economic or life safety issues is not being brought to the attention of council.

The second issue that arose Tuesday is one that plagues all elected representatives, from the halls of Congress to the corridors of the Colorado Capitol and our own Citizens' Hall. Quite simply, our elected representatives enact and preside over tax laws that they themselves are ignorant of.

But, can we blame them? Our local, state and federal tax codes have become a jumbled morass that no human possibly can comprehend. Even Steamboat's relatively slim tax code results in confusion when discussions arise about tax issues that should be relatively straightforward.

Finally, if there's any lesson learned from the building-use tax issue that inflamed passions these past months, it's this: When it comes to Steamboat, there's the law on the books and there's the way things are done out of habit and convenience.

Unfortunately, that is a truism that extends from taxation to life safety.

To reach Rob Douglas, email Rob.Douglas@Comcast.net