Shana Ball
for Mayor of Palmer Lake
A lifetime of public service
focused on the citizens
of the Town of Palmer Lake
Hello, I’m Shana Ball and
I want to be your next Mayor
My Vision for Palmer Lake
I truly love the town of Palmer Lake and have a strong desire to preserve our Town’s rich history, complete with our traditions, our small-town neighborly atmosphere, our businesses, our historical buildings, our schools, churches, and the long-time services the Town provides to our citizens. I will lead our Town into the future in a responsible and balanced way that includes substantial citizen involvement and input, while constantly planning our future through reliable and community-supported revenue sources.
The Town of Palmer Lake doesn’t belong to the Board of Trustees or the Mayor; instead, we serve as stewards and caretakers on behalf of the citizens who elected us. Your voice should be heard, respected and included at all times on all issues.
We will have hard choices to make as we move forward and face challenges such as drainage, infrastructure problems, annexations, managed and intelligent growth, and economic development to enrich our local small-town lifestyle through seeking new businesses that will enhance our community and improves our fiscal health.
I am advocate for Dark Skies in Palmer Lake, and support the ordinance we have in place, but want to see our ordinance enforced in all areas of our Town. Exception would include those places where light is needed for public safety. As part of that, we need a full-time Code Enforcement Officer to assure that our codes and ordinances are being fully enforced.
I encourage residents to read our most recent water study from 2023. The study speaks to the amount of water the town has access to, evaporation rates, maintenance requirements for access and filtration and what will be required to meet the demands of a the Town’s total tap ability within the next 20 years. This max tap capability includes any and all possible development within the Town’s 3-mile plan. The 3-mile plan can be seen in our town’s Master Plan.
We must be mindful of the need for a 3rd well and 2nd filtration plant, keeping possible developments that come in as part of an annexation small, with clustered plans, ordinances that mandate size requirements, water infrastructure security, land use requirements and all other resource support. New development should have to conduct an updated water study to prove that the development will not deplete the current water supply when plans are submitted to the Town.
I will work closely with Town staff, business owners, and the citizens of Palmer Lake to help the Board of Trustees make the best decisions possible for our Town in the present while preserving our heritage and local dynamic for the future.
Let’s work together to take care of Palmer Lake!
About Shana Ball
A second-generation Palmer Lake resident, I come from a family with many years of dedicated service to the Town of Palmer Lake. I continue to live here and run a local business. They served on the Board of Trustees, Variance Board, Fire Department, Planning Commission, and various committees throughout the Town. They were always among the first citizens to raise their hand to help in any way that would improve our beautiful town. I continue to live in Palmer Lake and run a local business.
My grandparents Gerald and Wilma French moved here in the early 50s. My grandmother Wilma started Sundance Kennels, which often gave a temporary home to many lost animals. My parents and grandmother allowed me no short cuts and instilled in me a strong drive to excel in what I did. I was raised with a strong belief in integrity, honor, and honesty. No right path is an easy one! I was taught that if I’m going to do anything, I must do it to the very best of my ability or don’t do it all. I was taught to treat others as I would like to be treated and carry that lesson with me daily.
I am the proud mom of three grown children, who all work in service industries, and a grandmother of nine grand kids.
My Positions 0n Some Of The Issues
*Choose the candidates who offer more than words, who bring a proven and long record of action through participation on many committees or commissions. People who will make core decisions for our Town should offer more than just their love for Palmer Lake. It takes expertise and experience in working with our issues to lead and to decide for our whole citizenry.
*I myself participate in writing and winning grants for our Town – the idea of applying for grants is not new but decades old. This includes local citizens and our Town manager. This often brings us additional funding for special projects to supplement our Town budget.
*I do not support a tax increase, but it is not the Board of Trustees’ decision. If a mill levy or other kind of tax increase is voted onto a ballot by a majority of the Board, the decision still belongs to you to vote on during an election cycle. Once again, this is your exclusive right to choose.
*I have participated on state and regional boards including the Colorado Department of Emergency and Health Facilities. I have sat on a five-county collective panel for The Resource Exchange, a non-profit organization contracted by the Colorado Department of Human Services to represent the elderly, blind and disabled, along with El Paso County Commissioners and state representatives. I attend the Plains to Peak RETAC quarterly meetings for Emergency Services. I led our Public Safety Citizens Committee for years through a variety of financing issues, and am currently a member of Palmer Lake Economic Development Group. I have served as a trustee for Palmer Lake for an aggregate of five years.
*Our Fire Department already deploys our brush truck nationally! This is not a new idea.
*I do not support development in our Town that does not comply with the density rules the citizens articulated in our Master Plan.
*I do not support the economic waste that is presently happening on Town-owned property. I’ll update you later this week with the citizen questions I have received along with my answers.
Let’s all remember – we are Palmer Lake. All of us.
MORE QUESTIONS FROM CITIZENS
Fire Hydrants
Q: Please let the Palmer Lake citizens know if you believe ALL fire hydrants should be working to their full capacity.
A: There should be a working fire hydrant on every street block where water supply is provided by the town to keep our town's ISO ratings down. There are areas of Palmer Lake where citizens have wells instead of town water. These areas do not have fire hydrants because there is no water line to feed water to a fire hydrant. Our fire engine carries 1,000 gallons of water with over 1,000 feet of hose. The initial attack to a residential fire comes straight off the fire engine first while fire hoses are being attached to the nearest fire hydrant (where hydrants are available). This initial attack on a fire means the residential fire can often be resolved before the hose is even attached to the fire hydrant. It costs more money to remove and cap a line from a hydrant that has become non-functioning so capped hydrants are often left in place.
Our fire chief, John Vincent, assures me that there is a working fire hydrant on every street block in the Town of Palmer Lake where water is supplied by the town.
Fire Hydrant Report
Q. Please report the findings of working/non-working hydrants in our town and report to citizens. That would be a transparent act.
Answer: Chief Vincent reports that there is a map shared by the water department and the fire department showing where all non-functioning hydrants are located. I hope the Town Manager can provide citizens with a copy of this map on request.
Safety First
Q. Please be transparent on your plan to have safety come first.
Answer: I am and always have been extremely supportive of citizen safety! I recently assisted the fire chief in updating our Town’s wildfire protection plan, which also consists of our Town’s evacuation plan should a wildfire require our citizens to evacuate. This is an ongoing endeavor of mine as we move towards a fire-adapted community. Fire adaptation means that communities take mitigation actions so they can live with wildfire without harm and without extensive wildfire suppression efforts. I also encourage our citizens to reach out to our local fire department for smoke detector inspections and battery replacement assistance. When in doubt, please feel free to reach out to your fire department!
Paved Roads
Q: Is it your goal to have paved roads in PL?
Answer: This was a hot topic with each neighborhood with which the Master Plan Team met as we began the groundwork to update the Town’s Master Plan. I attended every neighborhood citizen meeting and heard what each neighborhood had to say. Some citizens wanted paved roads while others wanted to keep the dirt roads. I don’t have any immediate plans to ensure all roads will be paved but believe citizen input and preferences will be crucial to any future plans for paving. That would be a very large, very costly project that is definitely not planned for our 2025 budget.
Potholes
Q5. What is your plan on how to “fix” the 105 potholes for good?
Answer: Hwy 105 is a Colorado state highway and they are primarily charged with care of it. The Town of Palmer Lake does not have any control over how or when potholes on the highway are fixed, but our Town Manager has often made phone calls requesting expedited service from the Colorado Department of Transportation. I recommend all concerned citizens contact the CDOT and complain about the potholes on Hwy 105. I agree that they can be annoying and unsafe!
New Firehouse
Q: Do you think we HAVE to have a new firehouse?
Answer: The current fire station is literally falling apart. The concrete walls are flaking and crumbling. There is not enough space to adequately staff the station to NFPA 1710 standards. We cannot write a grant for a new fire engine, which is desperately needed, because a new fire engine will not fit in the station! We cannot get an ambulance service started for our community because there is no heated bay to store the ambulance between calls and there is not enough space for living quarters to staff the ambulance.
Current NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards have been adopted by the state of Colorado for All fire departments in Colorado. Those standards call for a minimum of four full-time firefighters on duty at all times. This includes numbers associated with Mutual Aid from other fire departments. They also must respond with a minimum of four fire fighters. A volunteer only counts as .5 of a responder due to the inability to rely upon volunteers to show up consistently. I bring this up because we cannot house that many firefighters in our station – another reason we need a new firehouse.
Dollar General
Q. How would you have handled Dollar General scenario if you were the mayor?
Answer: I would not have held an executive session in which the town attorney charged for his time. There was no reason to meet with the owner of the land where the Dollar General was planned out of the hearing of our citizens. There was no contract to negotiate nor reason for the conversation to be held in executive session. The property owner had every right to do with his property as he felt was fitting within our land use codes. However, as mayor, I would counsel the property owner about what was included in the Town’s Master Plan – which contained the citizens’ desires for no large chains which are not appropriate for Palmer Lake -- and recommend that he find buyers that are more fitting with vision our citizens hold for our community as articulated in the Master Plan.
Background and Experience
My background, experience, and record of service to the Town is well-documented.
I was a member of the Palmer Lake Fire Department from 1998 to 2003 and 2006 to 2012. Originally a volunteer, I was one of the first paid members of our Fire Department, serving as a lieutenant for two years, as a captain for three years and as the Chief for two and a half years.
I have served on multiple Town committees, including the following:
*Palmer Lake Fire Department Committee 2017
*Public Safety Committee 2018-2020
*Palmer Lake Master Plan Committee 2020-2022
*Member, Board of Trustees; appointed 2012, twice elected 2013 and 2022
*Member, Palmer Lake Planning Commission 2020-2022
As a current Board of Trustees member, I have assisted in updating the Town’s wildfire safety plan, attending workshops with the State of Colorado Forestry Service to learn how to develop a community wildfire adaptation plan that will help lower homeowner insurance costs. I have worked with our current fire chief to create a mitigation plan to remove Palmer Lake from the Colorado Wildfire Danger Zone.
I currently serve on the Town’s grants committee to identify funding for police, fire, and the Town. I continue to participate in grant writing, and attend various conferences to find funding resources to help the Town and citizens. Although grants cannot be considered a reliable source of steady income, they often provide the Town with funding for special projects and initiatives that improve our quality of life.
I joined Palmer Lake Economic Development Group to help local businesses to succeed and to encourage new businesses to open in Palmer Lake. My business experience also includes founding and building a highly successful Palmer Lake-based residential and home-based assisted living facility that provides protective oversight and assistance to aged/disabled citizens in need of 24-hour care. Our most recent state survey gave us a perfect score!
My formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Nursing and Emergency Management, with ongoing administration training. I also hold an Associate of Arts Degree in Fire Science with an emphasis in Leadership, Creative Writing, and Nursing Management. I have served as a leader in multiple capacities and in many roles and have extensive experience in emergency response of all types.
My professional and personal background has provided me the ability to calmly respond to dangerous or contentious situations with emotional intelligence and a heightened ability to work respectfully and effectively with all types of people from all walks of life.
QUESTIONS FROM CITIZENS!
Question about the Elephant Rock Property
Q: You and the current mayor have disagreed about the preservation and use of the five cabins on the Elephant Property. What is your position on this and why?
A: First, I am deeply sympathetic to those who have described abuse they received in the past on the Elephant Rock Property when it was the Living Word Church. They have much healing work ahead of them and I support anything that helps them to heal. But I don’t believe that tearing the cabins down will accomplish that. It is similar to destroying a highway because drunk drivers caused fatal accidents there. Destroying the highway would be an act of extreme economic waste and do little to heal the families of the victims of those accidents.
The cabins are beautiful and lovely structures which now have been mitigated of asbestos and are ready for renovation and tenant finish. To destroy them is purely economic waste and makes all Palmer Lake citizens ‘victims’ of a decision that takes away five opportunities for Town revenue, something that was well-researched and documented by the Citizens’ Elephant Rock Committee after 90 solid days of work on this very question.
We have multiple offers for “adopt a cabin” to help with renovation costs, and the Town has already lost a year of revenue while a majority of the current Board continues to insist on their destruction, in spite of a petition from 300 citizens and area residents asking them to be preserved and used, and before anyone brought forward any allegations that they were the site of abuse. The proposed uses for the cabins include art studios or galleries, a women’s therapy center, a nature school, a small retail business featuring our local artisans, and more. These businesses are unique and need a unique location which cannot be found in our industrial or current commercial areas.
There is so much research to document how exposure to the arts can deeply heal trauma, even trauma that happened in the distant past. However, the ER property has many buildings where people worked and took part in activities but there has been no suggestion of tearing those down. Because the cabins are in a very flat area, my deep concern is that the place where they are located is planned for another use in the future. All that is needed is to change the zoning by the next Board. That is something I will not support.
Question about the Concealed Carry Gun Resolution
Q. Is it true that the current Board of Trustees and Mayor passed an ordinance this year to allow the trustees and mayor to bring concealed weapons to Town meetings? Does this mean our trustees are armed? Yes, this means that our trustees and anyone who possesses a valid concealed carry permit may now bring their weapons to the Board of Trustees meetings, the Town Office, to our municipal court proceedings, and parking areas adjacent to those areas. I am a gun owner myself and believe in the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms, but I disagree with people bringing concealed weapons to a public meeting or gathering where the police are already present or in the close vicinity. The resolution passed by this current Board of Trustees, presented by Trustee Dennis Stern, wasn’t needed and can have a chilling effect on meeting attendance, which is already very low, and may also have a chilling effect on citizens who need to go to the Town office for municipal business, among other places. I was unable the meeting when Trustee Stern presented this for resolution but would have voted against it. Resolution 27-2024, passed on June 27, 2024 can be viewed here.
Dark Skies
Q1. Hello Shana, I must say your 'resume' looks impressive. I do have one question, what is ‘Dark Skies,’ and how does it relate to Palmer Lake?
Answer: Thank you for that for the compliment on my ‘resume.’ I have done a great deal to make sure that my business is a very well-run assisted living facility for the elderly and disabled. I do have lives in my hands every day. I have found that those same skills are transferable – they can be applied to the care of the Town as well. I write grants for my business to get things that my residents need since they are all on Medicaid. I also write grants for the Town as well.
The Dark Skies ordinance was initiated by a previous Trustee (Mark Schuler) from the not-too-distant past. The purpose of the ordinance is to have ensure that citizens are keeping their porch lights off at night. Some call those lights “light pollution” while others call it “energy waste.” Many citizens stated that they would much rather be able to see the stars at night than porch lights on every house. Citizens made many complaints about not being able to see the stars at night due to so many porch lights. Since keeping porch lights off at night does save energy, the Board of Trustees enacted the Dark Skies ordinance.
There are still complaints about the industrial part of town having too many night lights. I have received complaints of lights shining in bedrooms at night from the industrial area. Yet there are also good reasons for night lighting. The owners of the buildings in the industrial area have the right to keep their property safe from break ins and vandalism. But bad outdoor lighting can decrease safety by making victims and property easier to see. So the right kind of lighting must be in use.
Outdoor lighting is intended to enhance safety and security at night, but too much lighting can actually have the opposite effect. Visibility should always be the goal. Glare from bright, unshielded lights actually decreases safety because it shines into our eyes and constricts our pupils. This can not only be blinding, it also makes it more difficult for our eyes to adjust to low-light conditions. We must balance crucial safety concerns against the desires of many to have more ‘dark sky’ areas in our Town.
A dark sky does not necessarily mean a dark ground. Smart lighting that directs light where it is needed creates a balance between safety and starlight. There are good solutions to have a dark sky community and to make sure our dark sky ordinance is meaningful. I will work with citizens and members of our Town staff to ensure we find the right balance.
Palmer Lake Water Supply
Q2. A couple of my top concerns have been our water supply for PL. With all the construction going on and sure to happen in the future, we need to know where our water will come from. Our aquifers are being depleted. We are in drought most of the time now. How will you guarantee water for our future?
Answer: First, I wonder if you have had a chance to read our most recent water study? I am providing it here for you just in case you have not had a chance to read through it. Within the study is a comprehensive advisement of how much water will be needed within the next 10-20 years when maximum growth is expected to be completed. This includes the expectation or possibility, if you will, of annexations within our town’s 3-mile-plan.
Now the study says we have plenty of water for the expectation of a population a little over, 4000 people- this would meet maximum growth according to the study. However, we lack the ability to access it without another well and filtration plant. This study includes evaporation rates as well. My vision for Palmer Lake is that any new development that is accepted within the Town should incrementally pay for the cost of the needed 3rd well and filtration plant in order to be able to build any new homes. The total cost should be apportioned or scaled for the size of the home or development.
I know that our current Planning Commission is currently working on land use laws and regulations that will eventually come to the Board of Trustees for review and approval. I encourage tightening up these land use requirements for new developments that include low density development (requiring 2-5 acres per house, cluster designs instead of row housing and at least 60% ground cover within the development.) Our Master Plan calls for small developments with cluster designs and lots of open space between homes. I would like to see what has been put into our master plan for future development enforced.
We must respect our landowners’ rights to build on their own property, but we can create ordinances that restrict large developments and we can manage the density with proper ordinances. We can ensure developers cover all water infrastructure and costs that will support those developments along with improvements that may need to be made. We should put restrictions on building sizes and enforce the use of our Master Plan. As we move into the future, we may have to consider water use restrictions and add fines as we have done in the past. I would like to see annexations happen within our town’s 3-mile-plan that allows the town to preserve what little open space we have left. There are sections of county property within our 3-mile-plan that does not have any ownership at all. I would like our town to annex these properties for ownership and add dedications of the land to naturally preserve the natural state of these properties. I know that I can’t guarantee water for our future. That would be a false promise on my part, but what I can do is take actions to work toward preserving as much as we can now.
Remember the mayor is still only has one vote but the mayor does set the agenda for meetings. I can bring actions to the Board for discussion and approval. We need to start having deeper discussions about the next 20 years now.
Meet Shana Ball, candidate for Mayor of Palmer Lake!
More Q & A from Citizens
Q: Why does a town the size of Palmer Lake have nine police officers on our payroll?
A: We have nine officers, but most are very part-time, as because of the pay level we offer, they must also work other jobs to support their families. This means we need more part time officers to fill the gap. (In contrast Monument has 17 officers, but of course Monument is a larger town. Our officers do not all work at the same time. There is a corporal, sergeant, and chief for the command staff. The full-time officers each have a different specialty for the department, such as investigations, evidence handling, arrest control, various trainings, mental health awareness, etc.
Q: If a citizen makes a code violation to the Town, will it be anonymous?
A: You can make an anonymous complaint. Please make any code violation complaints to our Town Manager, Dawn Collins.
Q. Is it part of a mayor’s role to organize and run events for our Town?
A: I think it is important for the mayor to support events that bring folks to our Town to spend money in our businesses, and that raise money for things that directly benefit that Town, such as Awake the Lake. I enjoy seeing events that bring citizens together, having fun, and being kind to one another. Many events, such as letters to Santa, or the Fall Pumpkin Patch, are wonderful events but not central or directly a part of the Mayor’s role. I admire volunteerism , however, from anyone and everyone.
Q. What else do you believe is the role of a mayor?
A: Giving value to what citizens’ opinions are, regarding the future of our Town, is important and this is what I love about our Town Master Plan. It holds the voice of our citizens within its pages.
ATTENTION PALMER LAKE VOTERS
Some of you have noticed that I have not joined in the fray of spurious untruths circulated about me the past weeks on social media regarding my candidacy for Mayor. I’ve been the target of many defamatory and wholly untrue statements, and I anticipate more mud will be thrown at me, perhaps hourly, until election day is over.
As I mentioned before, I know most of you are exhausted by this dynamic. I apologize on behalf of those persons who bring that dynamic daily and hourly to you. I believe you all deserve better. I respect those running for office in our Town for their willingness to serve in a volunteer position for the Town. But I won’t use those techniques to try to win the office of Mayor. I will respond to untruths on occasion but not to the detriment of bringing forward my views, ideas, hopes, and plans for our Town – the real ones, not what others have falsely suggested.
As a general observation, while discourse is essential to any campaign, salacious personal attacks, even as a part of an election, are not protected speech, especially if made with malicious intent. SO many of you have reached out to offer your support and I am grateful for that! I believe emotional intelligence is an important attribute in a mayor and I will continue to demonstrate my own.
I am not a professional politician, nor do I self-describe as one in social media or other forums. I have not spent time developing endorsements. I have instead pointed myself at documenting my platform and hope that is the true yardstick most of you will use in making your selection on your ballot. I am a local citizen living here nearly my entire life with a voluminous amount of professional experience and a nearly life-long record of service to the Town. Loving Palmer Lake is not enough to make a good Mayor or even a good trustee. You must be conversant in the issues, which is why my campaign has been focused on responding to citizen inquiries about our issues. That is why I prioritize detailing issues over attending events. But I also believe in kindness and truth and believe a Mayor can well serve our Town while continuing to hold those values.
I’ll continue to post my responses to citizen questions that do focus on the issues both here and on my website at www.shanaball4mayor.com. I’m glad to meet in person with anyone who so requests, as our schedules allow. But I will not participate in the type of campaigning that is going on against me. No election would be worth winning that would require that price.
In kindness I hope we can recover the true heart of our town.
Spurious Allegations
The following contrived allegations have been presented against me. I would like to address each of them one by one.
1. Did I support a 2022 tax increase to double property taxes and a 2024 TABOR override?
Answer: I did not support a tax increase; instead I asked for a small public safety mill levy specific to our public safety needs and also a bond or a municipal loan that would cover the cost of a new public safety building (fire and police) and also a badly needed new fire engine.
I am in favor of TABOR for its municipal protection from making decisions without going to ballot measures to allow our citizens to decide.
2. Did I use fire department resources for personal gain and was I fired from my position as fire chief? Was I fired for “causing” a workman’s compensation claim?
Answer: No, I did not use Town or fire department resources for personal gain. One of the firemen stepped on a nail and filed a workman’s compensation claim but my actions did not cause it. No, I was not fired from my position as volunteer fire chief but did choose to resign. At that time our fire commissioner was trying to shut down our local volunteer fire department, which I vehemently disagreed with, but I also wanted to pursue my bachelor’s degree in emergency management, at that time, which I did, graduating in 2018.
3. Why do I not post the existence of endorsements in social media and on my web site?
Answer: I am not a politician, nor do I aspire to pursue a political career as a county commissioner, state representative or senator, or any other political office. I feel the presence of endorsements suggests that voters should choose a candidate based on the word of fellow politicians who may possess a similar political agenda. My focus is only on Palmer Lake, and I would prefer that voters elect me because of my qualifications and experience to be the mayor of our lovely town. Political neutrality is and should be the cornerstone of the local government, and we are a non-partisan local government. What matters most to me is the endorsement of our local citizens, whom I have represented as trustee, and hope to represent them as their mayor.
4. Was I absent at a Board of Trustees meeting where the issue of allowing our Board members to bring loaded and concealed carry weapons was presented for vote?
Answer: Yes, I was absent from the meeting because of a very serious emergency. I would hope any trustee or mayor would prioritize a serious crisis as I did.
5. Did I fail to file a 2024 election committee or file the campaign committee with the Colorado Secretary of State, and/or co-mingle election donation funds with my personal bank account?
Answer: I set up a campaign bank account last summer before accepting any donations and have never co-mingled any funds. A complaint was filed against me with the Secretary of State but was dismissed on October 18 per a written communication from that department. I am not out of compliance with any election fund or committee requirements. I am glad to provide a copy of the complaint dismissal if you contact me for the same.
FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM CITIZENS AND ANSWERS
Q. Did I resign from my first term as trustee in 2014, lost a vacancy position, and did not complete my current trustee position?
A: No, I never resigned from a trustee position in 2014. In fact, I was appointed to the seat vacated by Trish Flake, who resigned her incomplete trustee position. I am also accused of vacating my current trustee position, which I have not. I remain as an active trustee if I don’t win this election. These are entirely false allegations
Q: I recently drove home at night and once I was at Indi and County Line Rd, I must say the lighting at the industrial area off County Line Rd was all you can see and was shocked by it! I would like to know if all the many lights are necessary?
Also, do you live in Palmer Lake?
I really do love living here and would hate to see the wrong type of development or too much. Do you plan to make sure we stay small town.
Also, aren't there ways besides water taps for the town to bring in revenue? I mean I drive through Larkspur and through the years they have developed and created a beautiful park for all to use, not just pickle ball players. Do you see this being something to improve around our beautiful lake/park area?
A: Elected officials are required to live in Palmer Lake to run for any kind of public office for Palmer Lake. Yes, I live in Palmer Lake and have done so all my life. I am a second generationer to be raised right here in Palmer Lake. I was raised on Spring Street.
You are not the first person to be concerned about the amount of lighting in the industrial area. I have asked our town administrator Dawn to investigate this issue and see if there is a better option that still allows this area to be protected at night from vandalism and break-ins. It’s a work in progress!
Yes, there is other income beyond water taps. The town collects business and property taxes for revenue as well. Personally, I would really like to work on bringing more visitors to town to spend money in our local businesses. This would increase sales tax revenue for the town! I would also like to bring new businesses that fit with the recommendations of our town’s master plan. This is another way to increase revenue, again through more sales tax. This is why it is important to Shop Local.
There must be a healthy mix of business and residential development growth for a town to thrive well. Small residential developments that are done so in a manner that fits our towns’s master plan (which is the voice of the citizens it represents) can have a positive impact on property tax revenue and growth for the town. Growth in the form of business development has an even greater benefit to our town’s tax revenue because it offsets the financial responsibility from property owners to supply the entire town with services that are required by state statute. The town must supply citizens with administration of town business, police, fire, roads, water, and sewer. All of these things cost money to provide. It’s our job, as elected officials, to figure out the best ways to provide this to the community.
I would love to see improvements made to all our parks in town (not just pickle ball)! The park on the east side of the lake actually belongs to El Paso County, not the town. This is something that I would like to change. There has been discussion about annexing the bathroom, parking area and park into Palmer Lake, so that the town can make improvements in those areas. Some of the challenges our Parks Commission face are money, manpower, and volunteers to help create and maintain all the trails and park areas in the town. They are struggling to manage what already exists, let alone adding more to maintain! If you are interested in volunteering, they could sure use your help! You can reach out through the town website at palmerlake.com.
Q. Are you really a “flaming” liberal as your campaign team has been ‘painted” to be by your opponents?
First, the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees is a non-partisan body, as stated in our Town Code. We are required to set aside our personal affiliations, political agendas, and personal beliefs to act instead for the Town without regard to any of those things.
No, I am not a flaming liberal nor a liberal at all. I consider myself a median-ist. Even among my own campaign committee, our views differ widely, but our differences don’t matter or keep us from working well together for a greater purpose. This is the dynamic that all citizens should expect from their elected officials. When it comes to being the Mayor, I will be non-partisan, instead examining every issue using the yardstick: what is in the best interest of the Town and the citizens of Palmer Lake?
I’ve had some great conversations with citizens throughout Palmer Lake and your ideas are fantastic! I’m really listening and preparing to take action on many of your ideas. Particularly conversations about the east side of town, including Circle Drive, Westward, Meadow Lane, and residents of our mobile parks. In the mobile parks, citizens have asked me why they are annexed into Palmer Lake when Palmer Lake then struggles to provide them certain services.
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Contact Shana
Please use the form to the right to contact me with any questions, ideas, concerns, or comments. I look forward to hearing from you and will reply with 24 hours on average.
Thank you!