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Kathy Tourney candidate for KCRMD board

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Contributed by: Kathy Tourney on 4/8/2008

Editor's note: Voters will be electing three members to the Ken-Caryl Ranch Metropolitan District Board of Directors on May 6. YourHub.com asked the candidates running to answer a questionnaire to get to know them better. For more candidate profiles and information on the election, click here. Here's what candidate Kathy Tourney had to say:

My name: Kathy Tourney

My age: 52

My Family: Includes 2 children and 3 grandchildren

Education: I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, some law school, and some graduate school at University of Denver, and am working on my Master's in Real Estate and Construction Management. I have Certified Property Manager (CPM) and Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) Designations.

What I do: I and own part of my Dad's family business and two businesses of my own. We manage, finance, lease, own, buy and sell: industrial, office, and residential real estate.

My favorite place in town to hang out: My favorite place to hang out is the outdoors.

What I like most about living here: I love living, working, and playing in Ken-Caryl.

My interests and hobbies: I enjoy horseback riding, hiking with my dogs Driver and Cisco, travel, reading, cooking, entertaining, and photography.

My favorite thing to cook: My favorite thing to cook is soups and stews.

People who inspire me (and how): I admire Margaret Thatcher's leadership, and promotion of less government and more free enterprise and a market-driven economy. My Dad has been my mentor and supporter. We have worked together for the past fifteen years in the family business. He is a font of knowledge and has a breadth of experience that continues to amaze me. He was a plastering contractor, general contractor, and now owns (with the bank) and manages a small real estate portfolio.

How I have contributed to the community: My involvement in the neighborhood began with my three-year term serving on the Ken Caryl Master Association Board from 2002 to 2005. I was liaison with the Architectural, Covenants, and Equestrian Center. We worked well together as a board, and improved and maintained the assets owned and operated by the Homeowner's Association, and built a new indoor arena to replace the one that collapsed in the snowstorm. We operated within our budget, had a very strong reserve fund, and did not increase homeowner's dues during that time. The homeowners dues increased in 2008 from $35 to $39 per month, an increase of 11.43 percent. My political campaign involvement here began with chairing the "Citizens for Fair Taxation" campaign in May 2004. This was an election to determine if voters in Plains Metro District wanted to join Foothills Recreation District. This would not have happened, "but for", the "Inclusion Action" that the KCRMD directors later vacated. In December 2003, the KCRMD directors, in a public meeting, near Christmas, after a very short written notice of the meeting: went into an executive session, and then came out and told us in the audience that all the properties in the Plains Metro District, were now, like magic, in the Ken Caryl Ranch Metropolitan District. This meant that our taxes would go up to 14.95 mills, more than double what we were paying. This was all done without a vote of the people. After Plains and Foothills both sued the KCRMD, the Inclusion Order was "voluntarily" vacated by the KCRMD. Anyway, to make a long story short, evidently the judge convinced the KCRMD that they should voluntarily vacate their "Inclusion Action" which they did. So then, Foothills decided that they would like to have the property taxes from the four hundred fifty-four condos in Mountain Gate, (who have their own swimming pool) and the other business properties located in Plains Metro. Therefore, Foothills held an election, and the voters in Plains Metropolitan District voted to stay in Plains, and not to join Foothills. All of this brain damage cost the KCRMD nearly $200,000 (which was discounted ) in legal fees, and they lost the lawsuit. Had the voters chosen to join Foothills, Plains would now be part of Foothills. Last November, I chaired the Vote No on 5A campaign in Ken Caryl Ranch Metro District, which resulted in 3,130 votes cast, with a resounding 1,680 votes defeating the tax increase. Voters said they want accountability and transparency. At the time of the election, the budget and Financial Statements were not available on-line, however, the KCRMA budgets and Financial Statements have been available for years, even though both entities share the same computer system, and Web site.

The biggest issues facing KCRMD now: The biggest issue facing the people of KCRMD are choosing the new leaders, the three people who will fill the board of director positions. We also need to negotiate a settlement to the long-standing (very expensive) lawsuit with Plains. We must improve our accounting so that we can understand where we will spend more than $3,757,312 year. Our costs need to be carefully allocated to reflect more accurately the income and expense associated with different activities. Since we do not know what our costs are, we cannot determine what our fees should be. For example, tennis pays NOTHING toward the cost of the new $650,000 building. Since no income from non-resident tennis players goes toward the capital expense of the building, are the charges adequate to cover our costs? No. Therefore, we are subsidizing non-residents so they may use our facility. We also need a master plan, and should re-build the reserve account. We need a capital improvement budget, and a plan for the future.

Why I am running: In any organization, there is room for improvement. My 26 years of business management, accounting, and finance experience will prove to be a valuable addition to the KCRMD Board. I will preserve, enhance, and improve our amenities, property values, and financial condition, on time and under budget. In 2006, I wrote in Life at Ken-Caryl, "We need to make one, five, ten, and twenty year plans for the recreational needs of the community. Task force committees need to be formed so that the residents have input into the long-range plans for the MD." Also in 2006 in Life, "I would like to see a Finance Committee formed, which would allow greater input by residents into the budgeting and operations of the KCRMD." In March 2008, formation of the Finance Committee occurred. These committee members are committed to the wellbeing of KCRMD and have relevant experience. KCRMD transparency must be corrected. It is very difficult to get specific financial information. Citizens should have better access to financial and budget information. More ideas for improvement: GAAP accounting, improved purchasing and bid procedures. Prior Boards have operated within budget and maintained or improved assets, all without raising taxes. This board depleted the reserve account in 2004. It is time for a return to fiscal sanity. I have a bachelor's degree in Business Management, some law and graduate school, and 19 years experience with non-profit boards: accounting, buildings, contracts, budgets, construction, finance, bids, and HR. The many KCR meetings I have attended provide a background in the issues. I wish to make KCRMD more open, help provide better services, and bring accountability to the Board.

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