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2018 Election Issues

Citizens of Larimer County will have an extremely long ballot to consider on November 6. The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce has taken a position on several ballot issues that are critical to our current and future workforce, our quality of life and our economic future.

The Chamber is recommending a YES vote on the following issues:

  • Colorado Proposition 109: “Fix Our Damn Roads” Transportation Bond Initiative
  • Colorado Proposition 110: “Let’s Go Colorado” Transportation Bond and Sales Tax Increase Initiative
  • Amendment Y: Independent Commission for Congressional Redistricting Amendment
  • Amendment Z: Independent Commission for State Legislative Redistricting Amendment
  • Larimer County Ballot Issue 1A: Mental Health Matters Sales Tax Increase

The Chamber is recommending a NO vote on the following issues:

  • Amendment 73: Establish Income Tax Brackets and Raise Taxes for Education Initiative
  • Colorado Proposition 112: Minimum Distance Requirements for New Oil, Gas, and Fracking Projects Initiative

Background Information about the Chamber’s Positions

State Issues

Colorado Proposition 109: “Fix Our Damn Roads” Transportation Bond Initiative – VOTE YES

Proposition 109 would utilize existing tax dollars and inject $3.5 billion into the state highway system by issuing bonds and passage would commit securing them with $150 million annually from the general fund.

This viable measure will address the traffic problem in the state and bring some funding up north to Interstate 25 (I-25).

Additional Resources: 

Colorado Proposition 110: “Let’s Go Colorado” Transportation Bond and Sales Tax Increase Initiative – VOTE YES

Proposition 110 would inject $20 billion into the state and local transportation system including state highways, local transportation projects and multi-modal transit projects over 20 years via a .62% dedicated state sales tax.  It would also direct the issuance of bonds to jump start projects. Additionally, passage would commit $150 million annually from the state’s general fund.

This viable measure will address the traffic problem in the state and bring some funding up north to Interstate 25 (I-25).

Additional Resources:

Amendment Y:  Independent Commission for Congressional Redistricting Amendment – VOTE YES

Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. Amendment Y would create a 12-member independent congressional redistricting commission that would be responsible for redistricting Colorado’s seven U.S. House districts. The commission would include four members from the state’s largest political party, four from the state’s second largest political party, and four that are not affiliated with any political party. The final map would require the approval of eight of the 12 members, including at least 2 members that are not affiliated with any political party. It would also require approval by the Colorado Supreme Court. Under the amendment, districts would need to be competitive. Competitive is defined in the amendment as having a reasonable potential to change parties at least once every ten years. Measuring competitiveness would entail evidenced-based analyses, voter registration data, and past election results. Upon the approval of a final map (redistricting plan), the commission would be required to create a report demonstrating the extent to which districts would be competitive.  The map approved by the commission and by the Colorado Supreme Court would not be subject to legislative approval or the governor’s veto or to veto referendum petitions.

The Chamber is supporting this issue with the hope that it will provide a process for more competitive Congressional Districts, will reduce the likelihood for philosophically extreme Congressman and provides more transparency and removes, to the extent possible, political motivation to impact the redistricting.

Additional Resources:

Amendment Z:  Independent Commission for State Legislative Redistricting Amendment – VOTE YES

Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census.  Amendment Z would create a 12-member independent state legislative redistricting commission that would be responsible for redistricting Colorado’s 65 House districts and 35 Senate districts. The commission would include four members from the state’s largest political party, four from the state’s second largest political party, and four that are not affiliated with any political party. The final map would require the approval of eight of the 12 members, including at least 2 members that are not affiliated with any political party. Under the amendment, districts would need to be competitive. Upon the approval of a final map (redistricting plan), the commission would be required to create a report demonstrating the extent to which districts would be competitive.

The Chamber is supporting this issue with the hope that it will provide a process for more competitive State Districts, will reduce the likelihood for philosophically extreme legislators and provides more transparency and removes, to the extent possible, political motivation to impact the redistricting.

Additional Resources:

Amendment 73:  Establish Income Tax Brackets and Raise Taxes for Education Initiative – VOTE NO

Amendment 73 would increase income taxes for people earning above $150,000 per year. The increases would be according to brackets, rather than the state’s current flat tax rate of 4.63 percent. For taxable income between $150,001 and above, the new tax rates would be between 5 and 8.25 percent. The measure would also decrease property taxes levied by school districts, though it does not affect property taxes levied by other local governments. Under the measure, the property tax rate for residential property would be decreased to 7 percent from 7.2 percent and the non-residential property rate would be decreased to 24 percent from 29 percent. The initiative would also increase the corporate tax rate from 4.63 percent to 6 percent.  Finally, the measure would establish a fund called the Quality Public Education Fund. Revenue generated from the new taxes would be dedicated to the Quality Public Education Fund to fund preschool through 12th-grade public education. Specifically, the fund would be used to increase the statewide base per-pupil funding and increase spending for special education, preschool, English language proficiency, and gifted programs, among other things.

While the Chamber is very supportive of quality education and appropriate funding, this ballot measure places a massive tax hike on many Colorado families and most Colorado employers which could dissuade the ability to attract high paying primary jobs.  As well, ballot issue would place tax rates in the constitution and mandates a general fund increase, which has already proven to be an ineffective and disastrous way to mange the state budget.

Additional Resources:

Colorado Proposition 112:  Minimum Distance Requirements for New Oil, Gas, and Fracking Projects Initiative – VOTE NO

Proposition 112 mandates that new oil and gas development, including fracking, be a minimum distance of 2,500 feet from occupied buildings such as homes, schools, hospitals, and other areas designated as vulnerable. Vulnerable areas are defined by the initiative as “playgrounds, permanent sports fields, amphitheaters, public parks, public open space, public and community drinking water sources, irrigation canals, reservoirs, lakes, rivers, perennial or intermittent streams, and creeks, and any additional vulnerable areas designated by the state or a local government.

The Chamber is recommending a no vote as an estimated 54% of Colorado’s total land surface would be unavailable for new oil and gas development with the passage of this measure.  The measure would devastate our economy, wipe out thousands of jobs, threaten private property rights and could even cost Colorado residents hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits.

Additional Resources:

County Issues
Larimer County Ballot Issue 1A:  Mental Health Matters Sales Tax Increase – VOTE YES

Ballot Issue 1A would use a three-pronged approach to address access to behavioral health services in Larimer County:

  1. Expand and enrich local behavioral health services across the County (distributive services)
  2. Facilitate connections between community-based services with services/providers in a centralized facility providing a strong care coordination system and building transition bridges across providers and services in and outside of the facility (Distributive and In-Facility Services)
  3. Build a regional behavioral health facility to provide coordinated care and crisis services (Facility Services) A new 55,000-square-foot, round the clock detox and mental health facility would serve 5,000 people annually and would: provide onsite medical clearance/triage as well as patient-centered assessment services to get people to the right level of care, provide stabilization services for people experiencing mental health crises (relocation of current Crisis Stabilization Unit to the new facility), provide a safe place for people to withdraw from alcohol and/or drugs and begin medication-assisted treatment when appropriate (2.8 days to 12 days), facilitate entry into treatment after stabilization of mental health crises and/or after detoxification from substances and provide intensive residential treatment for substance use disorders.

Forty acres of land would be donated by the county at the northwest corner of the intersection of South Taft Hill Road and Trilby Road for the facility with the expected cost for construction estimated at $29 million with anticipated annual costs to operate the facility of $1 million.  The annual cost or provide all recommended services in the center and the community is estimated at $15.2 million.

The approach would be funded by a sales tax of .25% (25 cents per $100 spent) and is estimated to generate $15,700,000-$19,000,000 per year for a span of 20 years.  The majority of the first two years of the tax would be dedicated to constructing a facility and the remaining 18 years of the tax would go to operations, maintenance, community services, client assistance and crisis services.

Click here for more details on Ballot Issue 1A.

Additional Resources:

Resources

Larimer County
http://www.larimer.org/

Larimer County Election Information
https://www.larimer.org/clerk/elections/current-elections/2018

State of Colorado Election Information
http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/main.html?menuheaders=5

The Fort Collins Coloradoan
http://www.coloradoan.com
https://www.coloradoan.com/section/global/elections/

Ballotpedia

https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page

Please note: The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to provide education, information and analysis of local issues and candidates specifically for its members. The opinions expressed in this website are meant to give Chamber members a perspective that advocates for the business community and the city’s overall quality of life, and to give members insight into the potential impacts of local issues and candidates.