Dear Colorado Gambler readers,
Black Hawk Mayor David D. Spellman
As Mayor of Black Hawk, I am the only elected official in the three host gaming cities who was in office when the Limited Gaming Amendment was approved in 1990 and implemented the following year. I was first elected to the Black Hawk City Council in 1986 and served in that capacity for 19 years until April 2006, when I decided not to run for a sixth term. Then, in July 2006, after the death of long time Mayor Kathryn E. Eccker, the City Council called upon me to serve as their appointed mayor and was re-elected in 2008.
I am a fifth generation Black Hawk citizen, a descendant of Katie Carr and Edward S. Blake, my great-great grandparents. Edward was first elected to the Black Hawk City Council in 1876, and many other family members have served on Council over the past 135 years. Of particular pride to me is the accomplishment of my grandmother, Ruth M. Blake, who in 1958 was one of the first two women elected to the Black Hawk City Council. I believe my background gives me some authority to compare pre-gaming Black Hawk to where we are today, some 20 years later.
From the very beginning, we set out to become the premier gaming city in Colorado. When gaming was first adopted in 1990, the City of Black Hawk had the least name recognition and the least amount of infrastructure of the three host gaming cities. In 1991, in an effort to overcome these disadvantages, the City Council strategically waited to see where the other two host gaming cities would establish their gaming device fee, and then we specifically set Black Hawk’s considerably lower, at $800 per device, while the other two host cities were at $1,200 or more. In 1995, the city lowered its device fee by $50 to $750, which is where it remains today. In the years 2002-2006, the city rebated back the $750 device fee on the first 50 devices for each casino. Along the way we have offered other incentive programs to our gaming industry as well as participating in joint marketing efforts.
In 1990, the property tax mill levy for the City of Black Hawk was 10.460 mills. By 1994, the mill levy had been reduced to 0.158 mills, benefiting both commercial and residential property owners. Today, it is lower still, at 0.0394 mills, the lowest property tax in the State of Colorado. You see in Black Hawk, we believe a business should be able to keep their “fair share” of what they earn based on the investment they make, which helps make the risk they take worthwhile. All of this was engineered to make Black Hawk the most attractive city for gaming development. This approach of keeping taxes low has helped accomplish our original goal, to make Black Hawk the premier gaming destination in Colorado.
When I was first elected to City Council in 1986, the city had an annual budget of $150,000. Today, because of our gaming industry, our annual budget is $25 million. This is quite literally the difference between turning on your household facet and having water or not having water. Prior to gaming, Black Hawk had always been plagued with water problems: poor water supply, little water storage, broken or frozen water lines. Today you cannot find a resident or a business who can recall the last time they were without water.
It has long been my belief that business locates and establishes itself where it is welcomed, but it only thrives where it is appreciated. And, in Black Hawk, we appreciate the gaming industry!
Gaming has been a true renaissance for the City of Black Hawk. It has allowed the city not only to recapture its past glory but surpass those days. That is why, in Black Hawk, our motto is “Still Making History.”
David D. Spellman, Mayor
City of Black Hawk
