AURORA | A bump in the road could lead to a bump in your wallet.
The city of Aurora is handing out $50 each month until April to the person who reports the biggest pothole that month.
Each entry will be timestamped when it is received, so that if more than one person reports the same biggest pothole of the month, it goes to the first reporter.
There’s likely no shortage of potholes to report. City staff say there’s a near $235 million deficit when it comes to road projects. Some measures on the ballot are seeking to fix those road infrastructure woes. In a city meeting last week, staff reported that Prop. 110, which is receiving backing from Democrats such as Gov. John Hickenlooper, would yield the city about $10.2 million each year. That measure would increase sales tax — $.62 on a $100 purchase.
Prop. 109, also aimed toward transportation funding, wouldn’t increase taxes. The measure, being championed by the likes of conservative think tank The Independence Institute, would allow the state department of transportation to issue $5 billion in bonds, mostly for highway projects.
The contest to report the biggest pot hole is way to engage the community, a city spokesperson said, so that public works employees know where to focus their efforts. The city has been hosting the contest for more than two decades.
Here’s how to play Aurora’s pothole game:
1. The pothole must be a true pothole (not a trench failure or uncovered cut).
2. Cracks alone aren’t considered potholes (unless they’re really, really wide).
3. Prizes are awarded to the first person to report the largest pothole (by volume). Calls are time-stamped by the operator; electronic entries are time-stamped when received by our server.
4. You may submit a pothole up until midnight on the last day of the month. Any entries submitted after that will be eligible for the next month’s award.
5. You may only win once in any two-month period. If you are the first to report the largest pothole but you won the previous month, the award will go to the next person who reported the pothole. If no one else reported the pothole, the prize will go to the first person who reported the second largest pothole that month.
Winners will receive official notification by mail.
— KARA MASON, Staff Writer
