Colorado voters face dozens of tax and money questions on November ballot
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Even as elected officials decry the rising cost of living in Colorado, state and local governments are asking residents to pay even more to live here.
Why it matters: The 2024 election will test voters' appetite for government spending, even on popular categories like schools and housing, after years of rising grocery bills and tax hikes.
State of play: Upwards of 100 different ballot measures across Colorado will ask voters to add taxes or hike existing levies; increase government debt; or waive spending caps, an Axios Denver review finds.
- More than 30 school districts are asking for more money for construction, teacher pay and learning programs with three — Denver, Aurora and Cherry Creek — requesting about $1 billion in bonds, a record-setting sum.
- Dozens of counties, municipalities and special districts are looking for cash to boost affordable housing, pay law enforcement and add services that range from playgrounds to hospital care.
- Democratic state lawmakers want voters to approve Proposition KK to create a new excise tax on firearms and ammunition, generating $39 million for mental health services.
What they're saying: Many of these ballot measures are pro forma and typically pass, but this year may be different, pollster Floyd Ciruli told the Denver Post.
- "All government has suffered from a trust crisis," Ciruli said. "Schools, I think, have the same problem."
The intrigue: The pressure to pay up is strongest in Denver, where six financial questions fill the ballot.
In addition to the $975 million Denver Public Schools bond question and the state firearms tax, the local ballot includes two municipal sales tax hikes, $103 million for affordable housing and $70 million for Denver Health.
- The city also wants to borrow $570 million to improve the downtown corridor with repayment costs totaling as much as $847 million.
- And the Regional Transportation District is asking local voters to waive its tax caps under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights and allow it to spend all its revenue.
The other side: Opponents want better taxpayer accountability. And critics of the measures say the additional money is unnecessary and government entities should fund the programs within their existing resources.
The bottom line: The campaigns asking for money have three weeks to make their case to local voters about why they need more money from voters' pocketbooks.