Last month, thousands of Arapahoe County residents listened in to our first telephone town hall of 2023. Hosted by county elected officials, participants had the opportunity to learn more about their vision for the county, ask questions and share their opinions.

When those on the call were asked what the most important issue was for the county to address, the poll results were clear. Crime was the top concern at 37%, followed by homelessness and affordable housing (26%), roads (15%), and mental health (10%). Not surprisingly, these results mirror the same issues named by residents in polls across the state.

In Arapahoe County, we are working hard to address these issues by thoughtfully and effectively managing our budget. Fiscal responsibility goes hand in hand with providing the services that are most important to our residents.

When asked what the county does well, participants named trails and open spaces (47%), public safety (20%), managing the budget (17%), and roads (10%). The responsible use of taxpayer dollars is at the forefront of every fiscal decision, and county employees take great pride in delivering these important county services within budget.

Stay tuned for our next telephone town hall. When scheduled, details will be added to www.arapahoegov.com/townhall. We value your opinions and hope you will listen in. (And if you missed the first event, a recording is available.) Visit the website or follow along in future newsletters to learn more about your county and how it operates. Get to #KnowArapahoe.