An Investment in our Future

The Evans City Council is exploring a potential mill levy adjustment to raise the City’s mill levy from 3.536 mills to 11.036 mills to stabilize revenue sources and ensure the City of Evans can continue to provide the Evans community with high-quality and essential municipal services. Whereas taxes generate 73% of General Fund revenues, a mere 5% of tax revenue is generated by property taxes. In comparison, 59% is generated by retail sales tax, a more economically sensitive revenue source.

Based on citizen feedback from the recent public opinion poll conducted by Magellan Strategies, the city council proposes that the mill levy adjustment be phased in at 2.5 mills per year over three (3) years, beginning in 2026, for a total mill levy adjustment of 7.5 mills. Without the mill levy adjustment, the City of Evans is projecting a long-term budget deficit in 2028 and beyond, which may require reductions in essential municipal services that will impact the quality of life for those who live, work, and play in Evans. With approval from the voters in November 2025, the revenue generated by the mill levy will be used for the following enhancements to our community.

Enhancing Public Safety

A top priority of the Evans City Council is creating a safe and inviting community. A mill levy adjustment will provide critical financial resources to sustain needed investments in officers and equipment to support a safe and secure environment for all residents. Under the current mill levy of 3.536 mills, the City of Evans can only fund approximately 15% of our police personnel if all property tax revenue is dedicated to police.

Your support for the mill levy adjustment will:

• Invest in police staffing, officer training, and equipment modernization to meet the demands of a growing population.
• Improve emergency response capabilities to ensure you and your family are always protected; and
• Strengthen community policing initiatives to build critical partnerships with the pubic.  

The proposed mill levy adjustment WILL NOT pay for the construction of the new police station. The police station construction project is being funded by sales tax on domestic food, as authorized by Evans voters on November 2, 2021.

Parks, Recreation and Community Enrichment

Maintained parks and recreation facilities contribute substantially to a community's identity and quality of life, and Evans is no exception. The Evans City Council aims to strengthen economic resiliency by building an in-demand and livable city that will lead to new opportunities for our local economy. Under the current mill levy of 3.536 mills, the City of Evans does not have the financial resources needed to provide recreation options or maintain our green space at a level the public demands.

Voter support for the mill levy adjustment will:

• Invest in the development of new amenities and maintenance of existing park facilities. 
• Expand recreation programming across all age groups to provide emerging and in-demand recreation services. 
• Implement goals and development standards to improve access between parks and neighborhoods. 

Infrastructure Maintenance and Rehabilitation

Functional, safe, and efficient infrastructure is essential to meet the demands of a growing community. For far too long, public infrastructure in Evans was overlooked to the point of being over capacity and at the brink of failure, which has negatively impacted our residential and commercial economic development opportunities. Deferred maintenance resulted in unnecessary and preventable risk that thwarted growth opportunities to the benefit of neighboring communities. Deferred maintenance is a financial liability to our taxpaying citizens.

Voter support for the mill levy adjustment will:  

• Provide long-term funding for rehabilitation and preventative maintenance of critical public infrastructure to support community livability and economic development. 

Since 2020, street maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction have been paid for, in part, by The Road Ahead 1% Street Sales Tax. It is essential to note that the proposed mill levy adjustment WILL NOT replace the 1% street sales tax for road rehabilitation & maintenance. The City of Evans will bring back the 1% street sales tax to the voters in 2026 to ensure we maintain the dedicated sales tax revenue needed to maintain our local street network. The sales tax is the ideal financial tool to maintain our streets because everybody who comes to Evans and makes a retail purchase contributes funding to our street maintenance program, taking the financial burden off the backs of local property owners.

For questions regarding the City's consideration of a mill levy adjustment, please reach out to us at mill_levy@evanscolorado.gov.