ASPEN —With little discussion among its members and virtually no comments from the public, the Aspen City Council on Tuesday officially placed three items on the Nov. 6 ballot.
One, arguably the most controversial, is a referendum question that asks voters whether the city should continue with a hydroelectric project on Castle Creek. A second seeks to increase the local sales tax by 0.3 percent to give the Aspen School District another funding source.
The third would continue the city’s franchise agreement with SourceGas Distribution LLC, the local natural-gas provider, for another 20 years.
All three ballot resolutions met with unanimous approval from the four councilmen and Mayor Mick Ireland. The city clerk is required to submit all of the items to the Pitkin County Clerk and Recorder’s Office on Friday.
With regard to the hydroelectric plant, the city’s voters will be asked the following “advisory” question: “Shall the city of Aspen complete the hydroelectric facility on Castle Creek, subject to local stream health monitoring and applicable government regulations, to replace coal-fired energy with renewable energy?”
Read more information on the ballot issues.
