No one can deny that 2017 has been an exhausting political year. While you may be fatigued by all the news coming out of Washington, D.C., don’t let that dissuade you from participating in the Nov. 7 municipal election. It’s a fact that voter turnout dramatically drops when voters aren’t electing a president or governor. Nearly 42 percent of active voters filled out a ballot in 2015 — half of the more than 85 percent who did so in 2016.
Local elections are vital components to local life. The ballot contains issues that affect the roads you drive on, the schools that neighborhood children attend and the City Council and school board members who make those calls.
Don’t worry if you haven’t studied the ballot yet. This guide highlights a few of the big ticket propositions you can expect to see, as well as resources available to prepare you for Nov. 7.
Aerotropolis Regional Transportation Authority
Aurora residents will see five issues on their ballot under the ARTA banner. “Aerotropolis” may sound like the name of a futuristic city, but it’s a very real, planned commercial development for the region around the Denver International Airport.
The Colorado Department of Transportation as “an urban plan in which the layout, infrastructure and economy are centered on an airport.” Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit and Memphis are among several metro areas that have developed or have plans to add offices, biotech centers, retail and other businesses concentrated around major airports.
This year’s ballot is a major step forward and allows voters to weigh in on the civic foundations of the aerotropolis region: the terms of property taxes, sales taxes, revenue, bonds and the formation of an intergovernmental authority.
This vote is the first of many actions and goals outlined by CDOT through 2040. Construction in the region is expected to continue through at least 2075.
Mayor and City Council salaries
Everyone likes a raise. This year, Aurora voters will decide whether the mayor and City Council members deserve one.
Aurora residents last approved a pay raise for city officials in 1993. The city has grown from fewer than 250,000 people to 360,000 since then. If is approved, the mayor’s salary will increase from $60,225 to $80,000 annually and that of each council member will increase from $13,950 to $18,500.
Those city leaders’ salaries would creep toward what their peers earn in Denver and Colorado Springs. In Denver, Colorado’s most populous city, the mayor earns more than $171,000 per year, and City Council members earn nearly $92,000. No. 2 Colorado Springs pays its mayor more than $103,000, and council members $6,250.
In Aurora, Colorado’s third most-populous city, council members are considered part-time employees, according to the city charter. However, many say they regularly spend more than 20 hours a week on council business. This year’s election will not change their part-time status.
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Sable Altura firefighters protect a 26-square-mile swath of eastern Aurora, including areas around Buckley Air Force Base and I-70. The fire protection district has a few paid firefighters but relies largely on volunteers.
Issue 4E asks voters to consider increasing taxes through a $350,000 mill levy. The money raised each year would go toward administrative and operational costs. The district’s recent growth was spurred by the last mill levy vote in 2006, a multimillion-dollar deal that allowed firefighters to update the fleet, expand staff and generally manage the roughly 500 calls a year.
Voter resources
View a and samples of the and at . If you live in Arapahoe County, find polling locations, sample ballots and more online at . If you live in Adams County, visit for the same information.
Still have questions? Call the Aurora city clerk’s office at 303-739-7094.