Golden – Money earmarked for Jefferson County arts organizations won’t be distributed until county leaders get answers about why the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District hasn’t paid an election tab of more than $163,000.
The district owes more than $670,000 to six metro counties for the cost of the Nov. 2 election, during which voters approved continued support for the district.
SCFD collects about $35 million annually through a 1-cent tax on every $10 purchase in the seven metro counties. The district supports metro-area organizations such as the Denver Zoo, Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, Denver Art Museum and a host of music and arts groups.
Jefferson County is the first to balk at approving the district’s grants while the bill is unpaid.
“We need to get this all worked out before we pay this,” board chairman Jim Congrove said Wednesday of $880,000 in SCFD grants to 75 Jefferson County organizations.
Since checks to the arts organizations aren’t made until October, members of the Jeffco cultural council said there is time to resolve the situation before the groups would be affected.
Mary Ellen Williams, administrator for SCFD, said the district was surprised by the high cost and is “sincerely working on this. We’re trying to resolve it.”
Boulder’s entire bill of $3,527.97 has been paid.
Arapahoe County Clerk Nancy Doty said the county board is aware of the situation but has not taken action over the $180,000 owed to the county.
“As far as I’m concerned, they still owe,” Doty said. “Elections are expensive. That was a major election. They didn’t plan properly.” Most of the SCFD’s revenues support arts groups, and the district’s spending on administration, including elections costs, is limited by state law, Williams said. This year’s entire administration budget is $350,000.
In May, the district sent letters explaining its situation and enclosed checks to cover the cost of the Taxypayer’s Bill of Rights information booklets that are mailed to voters. The district also is planning meetings to work out differences over how much is owed and how to pay. At each board meeting since January, the board has discussed options, including whether it should pursue loans or ask for help from institutions that receive district funds. “I really understand the counties’ dilemma,” Williams said. “The counties incur costs, but we have no influence on how they administer and split the costs out. … No one could have told us (in advance) what it would cost. We kind of get a bill after they figure it out.”
While calculations vary, several county clerks said their formulas are based generally on the number of voters, ballot types required and how many pages each entity has in the booklet. “We’re not trying to be bad guys,” said Jeffco election director Susan Miller. “But we can’t let the bill go unpaid. It’s not fair to the taxpayers.”
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
