AURORA | Ballots in Arapahoe County grew slightly longer this week after the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners referred a question to voters seeking to prolong an open space sales tax.
The five-person board on Tuesday unanimously agreed to ask voters to extend a tax that charges residents a quarter of a penny on retail purchases made within Aurora’s largest county, according to a news release. First approved by voters in 2003, the tax benefits the maintenance and creation of the county’s trails, parks and open spaces.
The tax has netted about $360 million since it was first levied in 2004. Following a re-authorization by voters in 2011, it is currently set to expire in 2023.
The question approved this week asks voters to approve the tax in perpetuity. It could only be axed following an additional vote of the people.
The referred measure wouldn’t increase the current tax, but it would slightly rejigger certain allocations, bumping the percentage of dollars available for maintenance and reducing the pot available for the purchase of new space and trail creation. Half of the tax dollars would remain shared with the county’s various cities and towns.
“If our voters approve this reauthorization measure in November, we’ll be able to continue funding the many parks, trails, heritage areas and other projects that have become integral to the quality of life we enjoy throughout the County,” Arapahoe County Board Chair Nancy Jackson said in a statement.
Last year, voters in Adams County overwhelmingly approved a nearly identical ballot question that indefinitely prolonged a quarter of a penny sales tax for open spaces in the north Aurora jurisdiction. More than 82% of voters gave that question the thumbs up at the polls, according to Adams County election results.
This year’s general election is scheduled for Nov. 2.