Voters approve all 4 ballot questions affecting Westsiders
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers answers
questions from attendees at an Oct. 3 public meeting on the stormwater fee in the
Westside Community Center.
Westside Pioneer photo
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All four ballot issues/questions on Colorado Springs Westsiders' ballots passed in the Nov. 7 election.
In all, about 34 percent of the county's 446,358 registered voters participated, according to the County Election Office.
The office listed its results as follows:
- 1A, by El Paso County - approved by 67.2 pct of about 151,000 county voters.
MEANING: The county can keep excess property tax revenue from 2016 (about $14.6 million). The intent is to contribute to the cost of any future state/federal widening of I-25 between Monument and Castle Rock (the “gap”), as well as to fund “disaster recovery projects,” parks, trails and open space. The county's tax rate will not change.
- 2A, by Colorado Springs - approved by 53.7 percent of about 102,000 city voters.
MEANING: The city can start charging stormwater fees on “all developed real property” - $5 for residential and $30 per acre for all others - estimated to bring in close to $20 million a year and implement drainage-related upgrades from 2018 to 2038.
- 3E, by School District 11 - approved by 57.3 percent of about 57,000 district voters.
MEANING: District property owners will start paying increased taxes to fund a permanent mill levy override, bringing in $42 million a year. The initial cost to property owners will be $7.20 a month per $100,000 of value, dropping to $2.50 after the district debt is paid off in 2023, according to D-11 Chief Financial Officer Glenn Gustafson. The money will be used to give teachers and staff higher pay; to upgrade schools; expand technology capabilities for students; provide a school resource officer (police officer) at every middle school; hire more school counselors, nurses, psychologists and social workers; and pay off the district's debt.
- 5B, by the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) - approved by 62.5 percent of about 144,000 voters living in the government entities in the county that participate in the RTA.
MEANING: The RTA can use up to $10 million from its sales-tax revenues on I-25's Highway 105/County Line gap segment. This will be in addition to the RTA's current list of projects. The RTA's 1-cent sales tax will not change.
Westside Pioneer article
(Politics:
City/County)
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