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(l ,- IIU 1111 { . CUSTER COUNTY FINDINGS .- The study find.ings om: presented II\ the tible belCl'W. The flm. two ro...."S of the table sh<N.' the total dollar amount that was allocated to each land Use for revenues and expendmrres. The final row presents ratios shOWing the net tax'pin or loss for each land use. This is a clear way to show how much each l.md use C061S for every dollar of revenue' it raises. The revenues/expenditures ratios shov.' that agnculruralland and open space pay more than their "fair share" of local taxes. For every dollar these' lands provide in revenue ro county government from property taxes, sales taxes, and other -revenueS, they demand back onIy.$O.54 in service COSts. Commercial and industrial property slmilarly provide a net fiscal benefit to -the county, demanding only $0.71 in servi<:e casts for ever dollar they generate in re~'enue. In roOtra5t, residential develoPment teqUlteSSI.16 In local government services for every ux dollar it generates II\ revenue. Local governments in Colorado rely heavily on property taxes to fund local services. Property taxes make up 46 per- unt of all local govelJ1ffient revenue in OJster County. Sales taxes, state and feder- al funds, and local pc'rmit and license fees, among other re\'enue S(AltCes, account for the remainder of the county's ~t. These revenues are used to provide services-such_ as police protection, road consrruction and maintenance,-education. and health and v,-elfare servic.es---to tf$idences, bus~, and farms and ranches in the county. Education is the most expensive service-rrovided, accounting for 69 percent of rroperty tax expendmrres. \t'nat dOes this mean for GJ.ster County! According to the ax:s findings, a 160-acre hay meadow pays S540 in taxes. annually and demands less than $Z90 in government services. Meanwhile, a subdi- vision of similar sire pay-siess than $Zl,OCO in raxo annually and requires more than $ZJ,OCO in go\'ernment services. The Custer County findings are sup- ported by similar results from around the country. For example, cxx:s studies In Montana, Utah, and Idaho found that rest- dentialland use does not genmte revenue ,sufticienttoco\'er the costs of services it demands, \\nile farm and ranch. forest, open space, commercial, and industrial land uses all produce revenues in excess of rhe C05ts they require. The bottom line is char instead of expanding the rax base, residential de"elopmene thae is Me balanced by business growth ana agricultural [>resen<lrion will either increase f,roperty raxes ctr result in decUning le~~ of public sertices. 1998 Custer County Revenues/Expenditures Ratios Total County Revenue~ Total County b:penditures Revenues/b:pendi~ures Ratios Sl,165,524 n,914.993 S1.00: S1.16