Greeley Voters Reject Sales Tax Hike for City Projects
Greeley residents defeated a proposed 0.6% sales-tax increase intended to fund city debt and major developments including a luxury hotel and water park.
Voters in Greeley rejected Ballot Measure 2F on Tuesday, defeating a proposed 0.6% sales-tax increase on non-food purchases. Early results indicate the measure failed by a wide margin, with reports stating it was struck down by 70% of the vote.
The Greeley City Council proposed the tax to generate an estimated $20 million in its first year. The funds were intended to cover debt service for the downtown Civic Campus and the Cascadia project, which includes a luxury hotel, an arena for the Colorado Eagles, and a Mattel-branded water park. The tax would have also funded deferred maintenance for various city facilities.
Opponents of the measure argued that the proposal lacked specific allocation percentages and timelines. They claimed the measure effectively gave the City Council a "blank check" for the next 40 years. Because the development projects remain on the books, the city must now identify alternative funding sources to pay down the debt.
