U.S. Rep Jared Polis rose to infamy in Colorado’s fracking debate when he created a mini-documentary in which he bemoaned fracking near his vacation home in Weld County. During the video at about 2:24, Polis points to a building and says “this is my detached garage and guest house.” However, the property record from Weld County for that address indicates there are three “sheds” on the property, and no living units.
And, in fact, the photo of the sheds, as provided by the county, is the same as the guest house that Polis identifies in the video, as far as we can tell. See this photo below – the photo taken from the car is what Polis identifies as his detached garage and guest house as well as storage shed. The other photo is a picture of one of Polis’ sheds as registered with the county.
In contrast, Polis’ self-identified residence is marked “residential” (as opposed to shed) as seen below:
Even in an overview of the property, which we marked up for you, PeakNation™ (you’re welcome), we cannot find the guest house to which he refers. Rep. Polis, can you please help us find the guest house that you speak of in this picture?
Does Polis actually have a “guest house” as he indicates in the video? If so, then, is he not paying taxes on it? Either way, is it even a legal dwelling? Or, did he make up the “guest house” to add drama to how close the drilling was to his place?
Look, we’re the last people to want to enforce arbitrary zoning and assessor rules and regulations. It’s Polis’ land. He can have whatever he wants on there. That said, Polis is pushing for specific setbacks from occupied structures, so where his residence is on his land may actually matter. Also, nobody likes a politician who doesn’t follow laws and regulations themselves.
If the county assessor is wrong, now Rep. Polis has the opportunity to straighten out the confusion. We hope that’s the case, and not that he was trying to skirt an assessment that would come with a residential building.
Oh BULLSHIT!
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sucks to be just another lying democrat 😉
We are Talking about a Dem. Why do you try to find facts? Dems as exemplified by Polis, just make them up to support their lies.
I have noticed a lot of properties with only a pole barn on the property. They only have a well, electricity and septic system. The barns have living quarters built in them. This saves taxes and costs of permits or building the a house under regulations. This can save you a lot of money.
Oh PLEEZE!!! Sir Jared is part of the ruling class and he doesn't have to bother with trivial matters like this. Go and investigate something important like the Koch brothers right-wing conspiracy of trying to bring back freedom to America or global warming.
Thanks for the research. This proves what was not made clear by Polis. This is a "vacation" home. The main residence is far removed from the site. And now that the main operations are completed what is left is negligible as shown in your picture last week. This is a great example of the distortions and the straw man environmentalists are using against the industry. But remember Polis is on record as not being opposed to fracking!
my favorite comment from Polis in the video is when he describes the "half buried old cars that are fun to 'explore'"…. What a tool !
I can hardly wait for the truth on this one!
If you are going to complain about something being to close to a [guest] house, maybe you should have got permits and paid taxes on your shed, I mean guest house, before you complain too loudly. Oops!
Imagine that. Someone who whined about his guest house being too close to a drilling rig, may not have pulled permits, OR paid taxes, on anything more than some sheds.
I wonder how that will work out for him. Maybe the tax auditors may need to inspect that property.
I would be interested in knowing if his land is pooled or spaced and if so, what royalty he might be receiving, what lease obligations there are for setbacks, etc…