If issues for your county or city are not listed here, please consider getting involved with your local group and become a decision maker.
Statewide Issues
Read our position on CC and DD. Unless otherwise specified, Affiliates recommend the same positions on CC and DD.
The positions below were provided by local groups or county contacts.
Delta County
Delta 1A – Delta County Public Safety Improvements Sales Tax – No
City of Delta Referred Measure 2A – No
Delta County School District 50J Ballot Issue 5A – No
Delta County Fire Protection District No. 3 Ballot Issue 6A – No
Delta County Fire Protection District No. 3 Ballot Issue 6B – No
Delta County Public Library Ballot Issue 7A – No
Denver City and County
Referred Question 2A – Department of Transportation and Infrastructure- NO
Referred Question 2B – Arts and Venues Facilities – NO
Referred Question 2C – Fire Department Ranks and Grades – YES
Referred Question 2D – Elected Official Residency – YES
Douglas County
No on CC and Yes on DD
Yes on 1A
No on 2A for the town of Parker
School Board: Jones, Thompson, Nelson while holding our nose.
El Paso County
Fountain Municipality Issues
2A: Increase Taxes
Vote no. This is a tax and spending increase. Moving Fountain Forward and road improvements are already funded. The city needs to stay within budget to complete these projects.
Colorado Springs Municipality Issues
2B: Retain Excess Tax Revenues
Vote No. This measure defeats the Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights and leaves $7M for the city to allocate at its whim toward infrastructure that is enjoyed primarily by the city’s advantaged citizens.
2C: Extend temporary sales and use tax but at 8% reduction
Vote No. This misleading bill disguised as road repair & improvement contains and open ended provision allowing the city to spend the revenue on unspecified “improvements within the city.”
Manitou Springs Municipality Issues
2D: Increase Sale and Use Tax
Vote No. This increased burden on the citizens of Manitou Springs voids any protection they have from the Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights and it is presented as supporting “arts, culture and heritage,” hardly a high priority for people struggling to make a living.
2E: Retain Excess Tax Revenues
Vote No. TABOR requires excess taxes to be returned to the citizens for the very good reason of keeping legislators responsible to the taxpayers for responsible budgeting. Bypassing TABOR is never a good idea even in this case, where the funds are to be allocated for the purpose for which that taxes were initially levied in 2003, for downtown public facilities.
Lewis-Palmer Consolidated School District No. 38
4A: Bond for New Elementary School
Vote Yes: District 38 needs more capacity and this bond is solely for building a new school.
Calhan School District Rj1
5B: Increase debt and taxes for school improvements
Vote No. This is a tax, debt, and spending increase. Taxpayers should not be forced to fund athletic facilities and performing arts centers. The school district is currently funded and should stay within budget.
Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District
6A: Property Tax Mill Levy
Vote No. They want to set a 22% annual increase on static autopilot. Perpetual tabor override to maintain desired spending without fiscal responsibility.
Stratmoor Hills Fire Protection District
6B: Retain Excess Tax Revenue
Vote no. This allows this fire district to keep excess taxes which are collected. If it was only to keep all of the grants and revenue from other sources I would support it, but I do not support allowing the district to keep and spend more taxpayer money than is owed.
Peyton Fire Protection District
6C: Increase Debt for New Fire Station
Vote No. Ominous words like “not limited to” and “levy imposed without limitation” make it clear that the interests of taxpayers are not a priority
6D: Mill Levy
Vote No. This bill exempts itself from TABOR and proposes spending without limitation.
Stratmoor Hills Water/Sanitation District
6E: Retain Excess Tax Revenue
Vote no. This allows this water district to keep excess taxes which are collected. If it was only to keep all of the grants and revenue from other sources I would support it, but I do not support allowing the district to keep and spend more taxpayer money than is owed.
6F: Retain excess tax revenue
Vote no. This allows the sanitation district to keep and spend excess taxes which are collected. If it was only to keep all of the grants and revenue from other sources I would support it, but I do not support allowing the district to keep and spend more taxpayer money than is owed.
6G: Increase taxes for fire protection
No endorsement for or against. This is a property tax increase. Normally I would immediately say no, but Hanover Fire District is currently spending more than it is bringing in. Fire protection is an important community safety measure and there aren’t currently any free market alternatives.
Jefferson County
Ballot Measure 1A – NO
It is for 7 years of property tax De-Brucing at Jeffco, permanent De-Brucing for other sources of revenue.
We are recommending no on this for the following reasons.
The 7 year/permanent De-Brucing exceeds the limit in Amendment 1 of the Colorado Constitution of 4 years
Any De-Brucing should automatically end when the counties reserves get to the maximum allowed by Tabor.
Voluntary methods for increasing revenue should be utilized instead.
Even though waste at the county has been reduced during the past two decades, there is still areas that bureaucracy and waste can be reduced from fleet management, energy efficiency, permit reductions etc.
Mesa County
1. AGAINST: Mesa County – Ballot Issue 4A – $180 million school debt
2. AGAINST: Mesa County – Ballot Issue 6A – East Orchard Mesa Fire Protection District Tax Increase
3. AGAINST: City of Grand Junction Referred Measure 2A (City Of Grand Junction, $114,000,000.00 debt increase)
Pueblo County
1A – Impose a 0.39% county sales tax to fund public safety related needs (e.g.., build a new county jail): VOTE “NO”
The county doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. The bond should be paid back by reducing spending in other areas of the budget, not by soaking the taxpayer.
1B – Increase the county special sales tax on retail marijuana from 3.5% to 6%: VOTE “NO” Increasing the tax burden on small businesses hurts our local economy.
4A – Increase Pueblo City School District 60 debt by $218 million and increase D60 property taxes by $19.5 million to repair, improve, construct, equip, and update school facilities: VOTE “NO”
D60’s current debt that taxpayers must pay back is already $7 million. D60 taxpayers already pay $28 million in property taxes today. 4A would significantly increase the debt burden and property tax burden on each taxpayer.
4B – Increase Pueblo County School District 70 debt by $60 million and increase D70 property taxes by $9.55 million to acquire, construct, repair, and equip school facilities: VOTE “NO.
D70’s current debt that taxpayers must pay back is already $70 million. D70 taxpayers already pay $19 million in property taxes today. 4B would significantly increase the debt burden and property tax burden on each taxpayer.
5A – Increase Fowler School District R4J by $4.9 million and increase R4J property taxes by $395,000 to construct, renovate, acquire, equip, and improve school facilities: VOTE “NO”
6A – Impose a 1% sales tax on all residents within Pueblo West Metropolitan District to build a new fire station: VOTE “NO”
6B – Increase Pueblo City-County Library District property taxes by $1,143,000. VOTE “NO”
Weld County
Longmont 3B: NO
Why: A another pool and a government ice rink are necessary to Longmont because..? They never actually say, they just have a crony developer waiting in the wings to build another taxpayer-funded boondoggle. That gets financed at a payoff cost nearly double original investment.
Longmont 3C: NO
Why: didn’t they already prove they won’t actually use the money for roads as they claimed in the past? This tax is going to automatically sunset and they hate to lose their sweet slush fund cash so it’s up for renewal on the ballot because there’s profit to be had at your cost of living expense.
Fort Lupton 2B: NO
Why: Another tax for parks and community center improvements. After spending millions already in the community center in 2004 and getting a nice shiny award for the innovative architecture they just keep coming up with more ways to spend your money. Maybe, just maybe, enough has already been spent and it’s time they cut back a fraction of a percent.
Fort Lupton 2C: NO
Why: Another tax increase request for the community center.. yes, they actually have redundant ballot initiatives because not only do they want to preserve current taxes, they want to add to it as well and set the sunset far out to 2041! On top of that, they also want to make sure this big old tax (a full percent in aggregate) never adheres to tabor controls on collection and reimbursement. Wow, that’s some serious greed going on in Fort Lupton.
Fort Lupton 2D: NO
Why: another tax increase, tabor run around, and messing with AirBNB in a serious way. After all, they gotta get their cut and increase the cost of living somehow.
Frederick 2A: NO
Why: Do we really need more cops when I see them routinely sitting and chatting totally idle and bored as it is? Heck no! The authors of this tax even claim it is to support proactive police efforts. Seriously? That’s exactly what a sleepy bedroom community needs, more day to day cop involvement in people’s lives. What could go wrong when they shoot first and ask questions later?
Mead 2E: NO
Why: This little town wants to drive up taxes by $1.5 Million dollars on it residents to support what it already isn’t doing; fixing roads. They also want to put in traffic “safety” devices that require more expensive and long term maintenance. Oh and avoid tabor, gotta have that in there too because nobody wants you to get your money back from the government, what do you think this is, a country that appreciates freedom? Not anymore.
Weld County School District 6 – 4C: NO
Why: Another double repayment cost debt issue. Take out $395 Million in a bond, pay back $771 Million to pay it off. It’s like government bonds are the new ripoff version of payday loans. They claim its for schools in the county to create safe spaces and do a bunch of other stuff that they already have the money to do if they’d just stop wasting so much of it. Oh, your housing costs/property taxes (rent) will go up, screw those on fixed incomes, am I right?
Weld County School District re-2, 4D: NO
Why: another tax increase to afford more counselors and safe spaces etc. Don’t forget the obligatory Tabor detour too because screw you, we do what we want with your money.
Same Eaton district above, 4E: NO
Why: Additional taxes for things we didn’t list with the first tax because we might not have scarred you into voting for more of your own financial oppression with the previous issue. No accountability, no tabor protection, just open your wallet serf and shut up. Muh skools!
Weld County School District RE-5J, issue 5A: NO
Why: Do _middle school kids_ need career education classes? Hell No! They need basics like Home Economics, Shop class, and ways to learn about trades in their community, maybe animal husbandry, or something better than preparing kids for office jobs that won’t exist by the time they graduate if all of these taxes pass all over the place. Oh, no tabor protection, raises property taxes/rent, and we might do other stuff with the money, not sure, pay us anyway, no promises.
Weld County School District RE-5J, issue 5B: NO
Why: It’s literally the same reasons as the previous issue, just more debt and taxes to cover their bases if the first initiative fails. It seems really unethical to run multiple tax increases while listing many of the same reasons on each.
Weld County School District RE-7, issue 4A: NO
Why: More tech in classrooms, more money on top of what they already take, maybe they should learn to buy stuff on sale or something instead of driving up the debt and taxes on people? You know, be responsible with money that isn’t theirs? Nah, let’s just ask the voters to baa like sheep while we offer no accountability or tabor protections. This tax will expire and voters can lower their government burden simply by voting No and doing nothing else.
Weld County School District RE-8, issue 5C: HARD NO
Why: Another tax increase by $3.5 Million (one of the biggest in the county), slush fund the money, avoid Tabor, and offer no accountability or even a sunset clause. Just making it more expensive for every to live while automatically raising property taxes forever onward.
Frederick-Firestone Fire Protection District, 6A: NO
Why: Voters just approved a massive tax increase in the last election and now they need more? Really? What happened to all of that money from the last increase? Did they do anything with it? Whose pocket did it end up in? It seems to me they are proving they can’t be trusted to handle money in an open or transparent manner. Oh, and they don’t want any little Tabor protections limiting the growth of how much they add to your property taxes either.
Windsor-Severance Fire Protection District, 7A: NO
Why: Another Tabor avoiding tax to raise millions at your expense without accountability promising to do the same things they should already be doing but aren’t because they can’t handle money or operate on a budget. Each year they plan to automatically raise property taxes so this is your ONLY chance to VOTE NO on a perpetual tax increase scheme.
North Weld County Water District, 7B: NO
Why: Anyother Tabor avoiding perpetually increasing tax scheme for whatever they want to slush fund. What happened to at least pretending they were going to do something important and exceptional with the money? Guess they gave up on that because they were tired of being called liars. At least this way they can say, we never said what it was for.
North Weld County Water District, 7C: HELL NO
Why: They are literally asking to exempt all previous taxes for the district from accountability under Tabor. No reason, just because they want to keep your money and, with the previous ballet issue, forever raise your property taxes whenever they overspend without penalty. This feels like it should be illegal and would be if it were a private water company but because this is an NGO, screw you and pay up.
