Arapahoe county to ask voters to release it from TABOR revenue restrictions

(The Center Square)- Arapahoe County is asking voters to release it from revenue and spending limits brought on by the Taxpayers Bill of Rights after the county said it faced fiscal challenges, which could potentially result in $35 million in cuts to services in 2025.

Arapahoe County Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the resolution according to documents from the Aug. 20, 2024, Board of County Commissioners Business Meeting .

The resolution would refer a ballot measure to the Nov. 5, 2024, election after both commissioners and elected officials started a public education and engagement program in February of 2024 to gauge and inform residents about three proposed solutions. The document details the first option, which was $35 million in cuts to essential services; the second was asking voters to approve a new sales tax; and the third was asking voters to release the county from TABOR revenue and spending restrictions.

The county's 2024 budget shows that General Fund revenue was $207.3 million in 2021 during the pandemic and shot up to $247 million in 2022. The county estimated that the General Fund budget was $232.8 million in 2023 and adopted a General Fund budget of $241 million in 2024.

The county's 2024 budget stated that the property tax revenue growth from 2023 to 2024 was projected at 6.67% and would have been higher had it not been for the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, known as TABOR.

The county stated: "For 2024, the County’s property tax revenue growth limit is the sum of the estimated inflation for the Denver metro area plus the growth of new construction during the previous calendar year (2023). The major impact of TABOR on the budget is that the County may not be able to retain all of the property tax revenue that it could collect based upon the growth in taxable value."

Arapahoe County elected officials held more than 110 events for community members and stakeholders to highlight the fiscal challenges, and according to city documents, and approximately 60% of residents supported the county keeping the property tax revenue above the TABOR limits.

The county stated in the resolution that it is one of Colorado’s fastest-growing counties, estimated to add more than 120,000 individuals by 2030, and has more than 655,000 residents at the time of the resolution.