Letter: Take South Canyon lease to vote

The South Canyon lease should go to public vote.

In front of City Council right now is a 101-year  lease with the “Beckley Group.” It includes 1,849 acres of valuable city of Glenwood Springs real estate. This, in my opinion, is the equivalent of a “land exchange,” an actual “land sale” if you will.

“Beckley’s” pay nothing for the lease, unless he starts generating gross revenues. Who knows when that will be. Then he will pay a substantially below market value of “5 percent” of gross revenues at a later date.

Every Glenwood city property “land exchange” that I have seen between the city and a private individual has been brought to a vote of the people.

Such votes were made in 1970 and 1995.

This permanent, 101-year lease should go to the public vote as well.

Tye Richardson

Glenwood Springs