Multiple Colorado locales will include questions on fall ballots about whether to apply sales taxes and other revenue to aid transportation work.
Larimer County
The Larimer County ballot will ask voters whether to increase the 8% sales tax by 0.15% to help fund transportation maintenance and improvements.
Passage of Issue 1A would provide a dedicated source for transportation funding in the Northern Colorado locale. The 15-year tax would raise about $17.2 million annually for roads, bridges, intersections and other transportation work.
Currently, the state’s seventh-largest county uses vehicle taxes and fees, federal and state fuel taxes and a portion of property taxes to fund road and bridge maintenance.
Officials have said they need about $22 million per year to maintain roads and bridges in the county that includes the cities of Fort Collins and Loveland and that a dedicated source for transportation improvements is a priority.
Mesa County
Voters in Mesa County will decide Nov. 5 whether to use available funds to improve road maintenance.
Passage of Issue 1B on the ballot would permit the Western Colorado county to retain and spend on county roads all tax revenue that exceeds the revenue limit. Otherwise, funds would be refunded to taxpayers under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
Colorado law caps revenue under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. In place since 1992, the program requires voter approval for all new taxes, tax rate increases or tax policy changes that result in increased tax revenue.
If approved by voters, about $11.5 million would be used for resurfacing, potholes and reinforcing bridges in the state’s 11th-largest county.
Advocates have said the funding is needed due to rising costs. They’ve pointed out that over the past five years, construction material prices that include asphalt and concrete have surged by more than 50%.
Colorado Springs
The Colorado Springs ballot will also include a question to benefit road and bridge work.
Since 2016, the state’s second-largest city has collected a roughly 0.6% sales tax to cover costs to improve nearly 1,700 lane miles. Voters extended the tax collection in 2019 with a six-year sunset date – Dec. 31, 2025.
Issue 2C will ask voters whether to extend collection of the 0.57% sales tax for another 10 years.
The additional revenue is estimated to amount to $50 million per year. The tax money would pay for improvements to nearly 900 lane miles in the city.
Supporters have said the tax renewal would continue investment in city roads and ensure safer, smoother travel while supporting long-term economic growth.
Opponents have argued that city officials can do a better job of prioritizing road and bridge work without resorting to a sales tax renewal.
🚗 2C means smoother roads ahead! Since the 2C program started, the number of our roads in good condition has nearly doubled and the number of citizen pothole complaints have gone down by more than 33%. pic.twitter.com/m2cQuqWaHE
— City of Colorado Springs (@CityofCOS) July 15, 2024
Glenwood Springs
The Glenwood Springs ballot will include a question about whether to continue and double a sales tax to fund citywide infrastructure.
In 2006, voters in the mountain resort city along Interstate 70 west of Denver approved a half-cent sales tax to fund infrastructure work that includes road maintenance and reconstruction. The estimated $3.8 million the sales tax raises annually cannot be diverted for other purposes.
The funding source, however, has a December 2026 sunset date.
As a result, city officials approved adding a question to the Nov. 5 ballot that would extend the tax collection for 20 years. Additionally, the half-cent tax would be increased to a full 1 cent.
Advocates have said the tax is an excellent source for infrastructure funding, because a large portion of the money comes from tourists visiting the city.
Officials have reported that the total citywide infrastructure repair cost through 2044 is projected to be $200 million. A 1-cent tax is estimated to raise $7.6 million annually for 20 years, totaling more than $150 million. LL
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