Most people around here are not especially pleased that our county will probably double in size over the next couple of generations. Building our own Pikes Peak regional wall is not an option. But updating and revising our El Paso County Master Plan is an option and a necessity.

The recently proposed master plan, prepared by planning consultants, speaks to long range problems in El Paso County such as potentially inadequate water supply, the need for higher population densities in newly developing areas, the necessity to widen and otherwise improve major roadways, citizen requests for more police patrols, etc.

As we have emphasized, most of these problems occur in the unincorporated parts of El Paso County that are not served by a city government (particularly Colorado Springs). Over 200,000 people live in these unincorporated areas, which are generally underserved in terms of governmental services.

Implementing the new master plan will rest mainly with the five El Paso County commissioners. They set policy for the county Planning Department, appoint the county Planning Commission, and will, at a future date, vote on adopting the new master plan as official county policy.

One problem is that two-thirds of the voters who elect the county commissioners live in Colorado Springs. Most of these voters live far away from unincorporated El Paso County, have most of their governmental needs taken care of by the city government, and either do not know about or care much about the problems in the unincorporated areas.

That reduces the pressure on the county commissioners to act creatively on behalf of the master plan.

Another problem is that El Paso County is a strongly Republican county. Republican candidates for county commissioner are routinely elected to office in general elections. Democrats have little or no chance of winning. The result is that El Paso County commissioners are elected in Republican primary elections rather than general elections. The electorates in Republican Party primaries tend to be small in number and more fiscally conservative than average citizens of El Paso County.

And that is a problem for the master plan. Republicans tend to get elected by promising “less government” and “lower taxes.” Yet an adequate response to the master plan is going to require more county government activity and raising taxes to pay for those activities.

Getting more water. Widening roads. Hiring more police. These programs require increasing taxes and, maybe, borrowing money. U.S. Senator Henry Clay, of the Whig Party in the mid-1800s, called such projects “internal improvements” and strongly supported them.

El Paso County’s five county commissioners need to rise above some of the traditional local Republican Party principles and take the steps necessary to solve the major problems presented by the El Paso County master plan. After all, aside from party affiliation, the county commissioners are the local government for unincorporated El Paso County.

Though contemporary Freedom Caucus and tea party partisans are inclined to oppose serious investments in planning and infrastructure, there are plenty of Republican, or Republican-leaning, leadership models in American and Colorado history that recognized the vital role government has in keeping America competitive and livable .

Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist, set an early example with his plans for taxation and manufacturing policies. Henry Clay’s “internal improvements” included dredging deeper harbors and digging canals. Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president, championed transcontinental railroads and the Homestead and Morrill (land grant colleges) acts. Republican President Teddy Roosevelt modernized the U.S. Navy and strongly supported the National Parks. Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway System cost a lot of money yet has proved invaluable.

Colorado Republican Governor Bill Owens wisely backed investments in highway construction — especially in the Denver Tech Center corridor southeast of Denver. Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers has backed initiatives to keep our roads safe and upgrade the city’s infrastructure.

And then there is this problem. Unincorporated El Paso County, for the most part, is characterized by low-density housing developments, many of them featuring five-acre lot ranchettes. Cities crowded with both people and automobiles, and other urban problems, seem far away to these people. Many of them comprise the most loyal Republican voters in the county. Although they would be the biggest beneficiaries of implementing the El Paso County Master Plan, many of these residents of unincorporated El Paso County will overlook their future needs and oppose the increased government and raised taxes suggested in the master plan.

Finally, the El Paso County Master Plan calls on the existing municipalities in the county, particularly the city of Colorado Springs, to help unincorporated El Paso County solve its problems. Municipal help will particularly be needed where water problems are concerned. Citizens of Colorado Springs should heed this call and make a joint effort to simultaneously improve life in both the city and unincorporated El Paso County.

Master plans, when not backed strongly by the relevant elected officials, tend to sit on the shelf and gather dust. Let’s not let that happen to the newly proposed El Paso County Master Plan.

We do not want to imply that we agree with everything recommended in the proposed county master plan. Yet there are many sensible and important recommendations. People who care about this beautiful region and its future should read the plan — available at this internet site, elpaso-hiplanning.hub.aregis.com. Share your views with El Paso County Commissioners at, bocc.elpasoco.com.

Tom Cronin and Bob Loevy write regularly about Colorado and American politics.