What's on the Ballot

On Sept. 1, the Greeley City Council voted 5–2 to ask voters for a 0.6% sales and use tax increase. That's an extra 60 cents on every $100 spent. Grocery food is excluded. The city estimates the tax would raise about $20 million in its first year, and it would run for 40 years, roughly the life of the bonds it would help repay.

What the Money Would Fund

The Downtown Civic Campus: a new City Hall, a public plaza, a parking garage and related infrastructure.
The West Greeley Catalyst project: an arena, a youth ice center, a water park, a hotel and related infrastructure.
Parks and outdoor spaces: playgrounds, pools, trails and other park improvements.

How We Got Here

Staff first floated a 0.5% rate over the summer. The council landed on 0.6% with the longer 40-year term after hearing it could save the city substantially on borrowing and help restore its bond rating. That rating took a hit after February's vote to rescind the Catalyst zoning. (A court has since thrown out that February result, as we reported in September.) In a separate vote, the council also gave first-reading approval to issue up to $95 million in certificates of participation to build the Civic Campus. The city has said City Hall financing goes forward either way, through those certificates, if voters say no.

The Case Each Side Makes

Supporters argue the debt already exists or is committed, and that a dedicated tax pays it down without draining the general fund that covers police, fire and streets. They say a longer term lowers total borrowing costs and strengthens the city's credit, and that the parks money spreads benefits citywide.

Skeptics, including the two council members who voted no, worry that 40 years is a long commitment. They point out that the measure doesn't specify how the money splits between downtown and Catalyst, and that voters rejected Catalyst zoning once already. Some also question folding deferred maintenance into the package.

What's Next

The measure is on the Nov. 3 ballot. We'll publish the official ballot language, where to drop your ballot, and answers to reader questions as Election Day gets closer.