A proposed sales tax for early childhood education has Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper once again facing concern that voters may reach their taxation limit.
Hickenlooper has been unstoppable backing initiatives since he took office – he is, at worst, 11-1 counting Referendum D’s failure in 2005.
But the sales tax initiative that the City Council will consider tonight – along with a desire among city officials for a bond issue to help with the city’s $300 million capital projects backlog – has renewed skepticism that the mayor can continue to persuade Denver residents to raise taxes.
“It could be the first dent in (Hickenlooper’s) armor,” City Councilman Charlie Brown said. “I just think it is going to be tougher than people think.”
Hickenlooper’s chief of staff, Cole Finegan, said the administration considers each issue separately.
“We’re just trying to do what we think makes the most sense for the city and for our kids,” he said. “We’ll leave the political handicapping to others.”
Brown and the rest of the City Council are highly likely to sign off on placing the early childhood education initiative on the November ballot, but from there, the problems are twofold:
Other recent child-related taxes failed.
A major capital-improvement bond issue also is expected soon.
The mayor appointed a task force of experts who worked for more than two years to focus the latest child education plan, but “kids tax” initiatives in 2000 and 2001 were soundly defeated. Two-thirds of Denver voters went against the 2001 effort.
“That, in my judgment, is ‘(Heck) no,”‘ Brown said. “There is a message and a trend there, and I think it will be difficult to overcome.”
Lynea Hansen, the spokeswoman for the Mayor’s Leadership Team on Early Childhood Education, said the proposal is much improved over the previous kids tax initiatives, which were perceived as vague. This proposal is targeted specifically for 4-year-olds – the age before children enter kindergarten.
And it’s cheaper. The current proposal would be a 12-cent tax on every $100 spent. It would collect $12 million a year, where the previous efforts planned for $30 million.
“When you have 35 business and community leaders who came up with the proposal … you are starting from a good place,” Hansen said.
The other problem is that many city officials expected Hickenlooper to back a bond issue for capital improvements before he endorsed any other tax increases. Another task force is working on the city’s major infrastructure needs such as park improvements.
“We were looking, I believed, at perhaps some bond issue and mill levee issue coming out of the infrastructure task force,” Councilwoman Jeanne Robb said. She wants voters to understand that a bond issue could come up.
“When I shop, I sort of make a list, and I decide which things I’m going to buy. I think the voters need to know that while this (early childhood education tax) is an important item on the list, there are other items to shop for,” Robb said.
Finegan said the mayor’s work on one issue would not affect the other.
“The early childhood education issue and any work by the infrastructure task force are not linked,” he said.
Hansen said the task force was “surprised to hear council was surprised.” She said then-council president Rosemary Rodriguez was on the task force. And all of the council was invited to learn about the session as early as the end of last year.
“Some of them did elect to not come, and Brown was one of those,” Hansen said. “That is probably why he was surprised.”
Despite any confusion, Robb and Brown both said they approve of sending the tax to voters. And only Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz has made it clear she will vote against putting the issue on the ballot.
Others have high praise for the initiative.
“This is the best-crafted initiative for early childhood education that we have seen,” Robb said. “The group that put this together clearly learned lessons from the other failures.”
The proposal would raise funds for child-care tuition credits for families and improvement funds for providers.
Credits would be distributed based on need and the quality of the preschool program. Parents could choose any state-licensed preschool program.
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-820-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
12 CENTS
Per $100 spent; Denver sales tax proposal aimed at funding early childhood education
$12 MILLION
Annual anticipated collection through the sales tax
