Early results show Greeley sales-tax measure failing by wide margin

GREELEY — Early election results Tuesday show residents crushing a proposed sales-tax increase that would help the city of Greeley cover millions in debt service for two major development projects, and cover deferred maintenance on city facilities.

Early voting shows Greeley Ballot measure 2F failing with 18,132 against and 7,676 for, with only 25,808 votes being counted. There are close to 70,000 registered voters in Greeley. The Weld County Election Department reports it will have Election Day votes counted by 8:30 p.m.

The Greeley City Council put the 0.6% sales-tax question – 60 cents on a $100 non-food purchase — on the ballot to help pay debt service on $115 million already spent for the planned Cascadia project in west Greeley and the downtown Civic Campus, as well as cover deferred maintenance on city recreational and cultural facilities.

The tax is estimated to generate $20 million in the first year of collections. If the measure does not pass, the projects are still on the books, and the city would have to find ways to pay down the debt on both projects, potentially neglecting other necessary projects.

The major development projects are relying on certificates of participation for funding. Cascadia, which has already amassed $90 million in pre-development costs, would include a luxury hotel, a Mattel-branded water park and an arena for the Colorado Eagles, the minor-league hockey team owned by Cascadia developer Martin Lind.

The downtown Civic Campus is a major reconfiguration of downtown with a new Weld County Justice Center, a new City Hall and a new administration building for Greeley-Evans School District 6, in addition to a boutique hotel and some future apartments.

Opponents of the sales-tax measure believe that passing the tax would be on par with giving the City Council a blank check for the next 40 years without stating specifics on how the money would be allocated other than the projects named — no percentages for each project, or dedicated timelines.

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