City Council Approves TABOR Election

At this week's regular meeting, the Evans City Council voted unanimously (7-0) to approve Resolution No. 12-2025 to authorize a TABOR election for this November. The ballot measure will ask voters to approve a permanent extension of 1% street sales tax that has been in place in 2020.

The precise language of the ballot measure to be presented to voters reads as follows:

WITHOUT INCREASING TAX RATES OR IMPOSING ANY NEW TAX, SHALL THE CITY OF EVANS’ EXISTING SALES AND USE TAX OF 1.00% (FOR A TOTAL SALES AND USE TAX OF 4.5%) UTILIZED EXCLUSIVELY FOR MAINTAINING, OPERATING AND IMPROVING THE SAFETY OF THE STREETS OF THE CITY, CURRENTLY SET TO SUNSET IN 2027, BE EXTENDED INDEFINITELY WITH THE REVENUES GENERATED FROM SUCH TAXES CONTINUING TO BE UTILIZED EXCLUSIVELY FOR MAINTAINING, OPERATING AND IMPROVING THE SAFETY OF THE STREETS OF THE CITY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, RESURFACING, RECONSTRUCTION, PAVING DIRT ROADS, ARTERIAL CAPACITY EXPANSION, AND RELATED CONCRETE WORK IN THE PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY, AND SHALL ALL REVENUES RECEIVED FROM SUCH TAXES AND ANY INVESTMENT INCOME THEREON BE A VOTER APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE UNDER ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION OR ANY OTHER LAW?

This funding stream generates roughly $4,000,000 in annual revenue exclusively for projects directly related to road maintenance, road safety, and arterial expansion. By using sales tax as the funding mechanism for surface transportation repair, maintenance, safety, and expansion, it ensures that anyone who stops and shops in Evans contributes to the upkeep of the roadways.

This tax is set to expire on June 3, 2027, and while an enormous amount of work that has provided tremendous public benefit has been completed, tens of millions of dollars in work to major roadways including 37^th Street, 49^th Street, 35^th Avenue, 29^th Avenue, and a number of streets in East Evans is still needed.