Photo by Gabriel Christus/Aurora Sentinel
AURORA | City council unanimously approved three bond measure questions for the November ballot, asking voters for a sales tax increase to fund $264 million in transportation, public safety and city facility capital improvement projects.
At the Monday meeting, lawmakers moved forward ballot proposals that would amount to a 0.325% sales tax increase, or three cents for every $10 in purchase.
The proposals would fund 65 projects across three areas, including transportation, public safety and city facilities, which includes parks, recreation centers and libraries. Some of the major projects include the replacement of the Peoria Street bridge, construction of a new fire station, library and recreation center, improvements to police and fire facilities and park renovations.
A companion resolution passed Monday expresses the council’s support for the bond questions and says the projects “will improve safety, relieve congestion, and benefit economic growth” in the city.
One bond question would ask for voter approval for a 0.13% sales tax increase, or 1.3 cents on every $10, to fund $107.4 million in transportation projects, such as the construction of Gun Club Road and transportation improvements for the Aurora Reservoir.
Another bond question proposes a 0.13% sales tax increase to fund nearly $105 million in facilities projects, like building a new library and recreation center in northeast Aurora and the renovation of the Aurora Center for Active Adults.
The third bond question would ask for a .06% sales tax increase, or 0.6 cents per $10, for $52 million of public safety improvements, including upgrades to several fire stations, police facilities and the 911 call center, as well as building a new fire station.
Deputy City Manager Laura Perry said the projects listed in the bond questions were chosen to prioritize those with the greatest public benefit.
The projects were identified over a three-year process through the Build Up Aurora Infrastructure Task Force, which identified over $2 billion in infrastructure needs across the city. Through community engagement efforts and determining which projects are development ready, the task force narrowed the projects down to the ones included in the bonds.
Perry previously told the council that the total of all the infrastructure needs in the bond questions and identified by Build Up Aurora “exceed what the city can afford to do within its annual budget,” which is why the city is turning to voters for bond funding.
All of the proposed sales tax increases would sunset after 30 years, which is the life of the bond issues, unless voters approve extensions in the future. The city has not had a sales tax increase since 1993.
If all of the bond measures are approved, Aurora’s total sales tax rate would be 8.825% in Arapahoe County and 8.325% in Adams County, up from 8.5% and 8% respectively. The city’s sales tax rate would still be behind Broomfield, Castle Rock, Commerce City, Denver and Fort Collins if the bond questions pass.
Council will vote June 22 to finalize putting the questions on the ballot.