Wheat Ridge citizens opposed to what they say are excesses in the urban renewal process have collected almost twice the number of needed signatures for a ballot initiative this November.
Members of last week turned in 1,922 signatures for the Tax Increment Financing Reform petition to the city clerk’s office. The signatures must still be validated.
If the initiative moves forward and is approved by voters, it would remove final approval for any tax increment financing project under $2.5 million from the city’s Urban Renewal Authority and give it to City Council.
It would require a city-wide vote on any TIF financing package over $2.5 million.
The measure is retroactive to March 1, 2015, meaning that if the signature count holds up — only 1,000 are required — and voters approve the measure in November, at 38th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard would be put to a public vote.
If approved, as the only Colorado cities with citizen-initiated restrictions on urban renewal.
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abriggs
