Greeley might bypass regional approaches to fixing transit problems and instead ask voters for a tax increase to rehabilitate its streets.
A proposed ballot measure for November will ask voters to approve a 0.54 percentage point sales-tax increase to repair roads damaged by time and the winter’s cold and snow, said Mayor Tom Selders. The tax could generate between $6 million and $9 million.
The city couldn’t wait to see if two other entities – the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Weld County commissioners – will be offering their own road-fixing packages this fall, Selders said.
“We know that other communities in this region were hit hard by winter and just general wear- and-tear on roads,” Selders said. “But we are elected to take care of the city of Greeley, and we want to make sure our own roads are taken care of.”
The North Front Range group, which includes several small cities in northern Colorado as well as Greeley and Fort Collins, is considering going to the polls for a 1 percentage point sales-tax increase for improved transportation for the entire region.
Karen Wagner, a Larimer County commissioner and member of the North Front Range organization, said the group will discuss moving ahead on its tax proposal at a meeting tonight in Fort Collins.
“I think everyone involved needs to see how a tax increase will benefit the whole region,” Wagner said.
If passed, the communities would share in the proceeds. But some worry the towns and cities won’t get their fair share of the tax dollars while also paying for projects – like more mass transit – that they don’t want, Selders said.
“All the groups involved can’t come to terms over various transit issues,” Selders said, “so we decided to move forward.”
Greeley could still get involved in the other tax proposals, said the mayor, but having more than one tax increase on the ballot could turn off voters.
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or at mwhaley@denverpost.com.
