Littleton Voters Pass Ballot Measure 3A To Help Revenue Crisis

LITTLETON, CO — Unofficial election results show Littleton voters approved Ballot Issue 3A, which will increase the sales tax rate from 3 percent to 3.75 percent to fund capital improvement projects.

Nearly 59 percent of voters supported the measure, which will help the city's revenue crisis in the Capital Projects Fund.

“I can’t thank the council, staff, and voters enough for their work on the funding fix,” said Mark Relph, Littleton city manager, in a news release issued Wednesday.

“It is never easy to ask for a tax increase but I credit voters for understanding the urgency of the need. The city hasn’t asked for a tax increase in 50 years and has budgeted wisely over time. But voters understood without a new source of revenue, the CPF would run out of money in 2025. The majority of voters agreed on how important it is to take care of our physical assets."

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At a special meeting Aug. 26, the Littleton City Council referred the question to voters, and the council unanimously adopted a resolution Oct. 12 expressing its support for the measure.

"The City of Littleton has a list of nearly $100 million dollars in unfunded capital and infrastructure projects over the next 15 years; and the city's Capital Projects Fund is currently expected to reach zero in the next couple of years without significant increases in revenue or drastic cuts in spending and services," the resolution read.

The additional funding will be used to pay for the costs of deferred and backlogged Capital Improvements Projects throughout the city. Here is a list, as shown on the ballot:

• NEIGHBORHOOD STREET MAINTENANCE AND RECONSTRUCTION;
• STREET CONGESTION AND IMPROVED CAPACITY PROJECTS;
• RIGHT-OF-WAY AND MEDIAN MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENTS;
• STREET AND BRIDGE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS;
• SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS;

BUILDING REPLACEMENT AND MAINTENANCE, INCLUDING SPECIFIC PROJECTS SUCH AS:

• MAJOR STREET MAINTENANCE AND RECONSTRUCTION IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND SIGNIFICANT CORRIDORS;
• MINERAL & SANTA FE INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS;
• DOWNTOWN STREETSCAPE AND PARKING IMPROVEMENTS;
• PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY REPLACEMENT; AND
• MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENTS TO CITY-OWNED FACILITIES AT THE LITTLETON MUSEUM, BEMIS LIBRARY, THE MUNICIPAL COURTHOUSE AND OTHERS; AND
• PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS;
• ENHANCED ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP IMPROVEMENTS SUCH AS SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION AND CONSERVATION IMPROVEMENTS.