Colorado
Seated behind the dais in the City Hall auditorium virtually a year ago to the date, weighing whether to ask city residents to approve a sales-tax hike to pay for new police and fire buildings, then-Grand Junction City Councilman Doug Thomason voiced the prevailing opinion of the council. “It’s not a real tough decision,” Thomason said. “The need has been clearly identified.” At the time, western Colorado was holding its own against a sinking national economy. Virtually anyone who wanted a job had one. Sales-tax revenue continued to roll in.
Loveland voters will decide in November it they want a 3 percent tax on nightly hotel stays to fund a variety of activities. The Loveland City Council approved the ballot measure for a lodging tax Tuesday in a narrow 5-4 vote after some councilors said they believe the measure will fail. If approved by voters, the 3 percent tax would generate between $320,000 to $400,000 annually that would fund community events and promote efforts to bring tourists, conventions and related activities.
The Pitkin County commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to place a question on the November ballot that would allow the county to issue bonds so it can provide loans to property owners to make energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to their homes. “It would allow our citizens to reduce their carbon footprint,” said Commissioner Rachel Richards.
The Alamosa City Council on Wednesday decided to put three questions to the voters this November: 1) approval of a tax increase for an aquatic center; 2) charter change to allow non-city residents to serve on city boards/committees; and 3) approval of an increase for city council and mayor compensation. The compensation question will be decided at the next council meeting, but the council by majority vote directed staff to compose a ballot question that would increase council compensation to $1,000 a month and mayoral compensation to $1,500 a month.
Colorado Springs fall ballot will not contain a Doug Bruce initiative. Bruce had planned to add a ballot question that would have phased out all enterprise payments to the city.
It’s called the Tax Payer’s Bill Of Rights (TABOR). Led by anti-tax crusader Douglas Bruce in the early 90s, some local opponents feel the ballot initiative never made sense from the beginning. “It’s full of mumbo jumbo,” said John Weiss, publisher of the Independent in Colorado Springs. Weiss, along with about 60 other community members, want to change TABOR in a big way by getting something on the November ballot.
Loveland resident Brian Willms wants the Loveland City Council to wait until 2010 to present voters with a lodging tax. “There isn’t enough time to get out information to voters,” said Willms, chief executive officer and president of the Loveland Chamber of Commerce, at the City Council meeting on Tuesday.
Fort Morgan voters could have their say on a third city ballot question in November’s general election. The Fort Morgan City Council issued a revised agenda for its meeting tonight that includes the first reading of an ordinance that would submit to voters a ballot question “relating to providing and/or facilitating of services through the fiber network enterprise.” The council has been discussing for some time the possibility of leasing its fiber-optic network to Internet service providers, who would then offer high-speed connections to local customers.
Boulder County voters will decide this fall whether to double the ClimateSmart Loan Program, allow the district attorney to run for a third term and extend an open space tax. The county’s Board of Commissioners approved all three ballot issues for the Nov. 3 election at a public hearing this morning. A fourth issue — regarding Quality Energy Conservation bonds — will be addressed by commissioners Aug. 18.
The Grand Junction City Council will decide Aug. 19 whether to go before voters again in November and ask for a sales-tax increase to pay for a pared-down package of new police and fire buildings. If council members choose to ask city residents to bump up the sales-tax rate a quarter-cent, they also will decide which one of five projects ranging in price from $53 million to $78 million they will tie to the question.
The City Council today will discuss a host of possible ballot questions for November, including a property tax increase and a proposal to revamp the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. Today’s discussion also will include suggestions for future ballot measures from the council-appointed Sustainable Funding Committee, which has been meeting for more than a year and coming up with ideas to get city government on firm financial footing.
Three anti-tax petitions are being circulated in hopes of rolling back recently-enacted tax and fee increases at next year’s election. Backers of the initiatives emphasize the grassroots nature of their endeavor, but Colorado’s most prominent tax-cutting activists are at work in the background helping to shepherd the measures to the ballot. Initiatives 10, 12 and 21 have been approved by a state panel regulating initiative titles and are in the field where volunteers are gathering signatures. Proponents say they are fed up with a series of tax increases backed by Gov.
The Denver Sheriff’s Department union is spearheading a ballot initiative that would expand sheriffs’ arrest powers, a move that has upset several city leaders and the Denver Police Department’s union. The Fraternal Order of Police ”” the union for the Denver Sheriff’s Department (DSD) ”” must collect more than 40,000 signatures in 90 days to place the initiative on the Nov. 2009 ballot. If passed, the change to the city charter would allow Denver sheriffs to respond to a crime occurring outside of a DSD-staffed facility.
Canon City council will ask voters in November to suspend tax rebates due to them under the 1992 Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABoR). Under TABoR the city must return any money beyond what it is allowed to collect to taxpayers. The ballot measure would suspend those rebates for ten years between 2010 and 2020.
A group of citizens trying to get an arts-oriented tax district on November’s ballot is suspending its efforts due to lack of funds. The group was attempting to place the question of forming two Scientific and Cultural Facilities Districts to voters. The measure would add a 0.1 percent sales tax to items purchased in the districts. Proponents were asking for separate districts to fund projects within the boundaries of Loveland and Fort Collins.