Paperwork to run for a position on the Mancos Town Board during the municipal election is due Monday by 5 p.m. at Town Hall.
With the deadline approaching, the town is preparing for its April 7 election to determine three trustee seats while also asking voters to consider a proposed 0.4% sales tax increase dedicated to streets and broadband equipment.
The town will administer the election independently this year rather than through Montezuma County, with assistance from an outside consulting firm. Officials hope for higher‑than‑usual turnout in a vote that will proceed regardless of how many candidates qualify.
Three trustee seats are up for election, held by Nick Manning, Corey Jabour and David Peyton. All three incumbents are eligible to run. As of late last week, one nomination petition had been submitted, said town administrator Heather Alvarez.
Candidates must be at least 18, registered to vote and have lived within Mancos town limits for at least one year. Alvarez said town boundaries do not follow street cutoffs, so prospective candidates may consult the zoning map to confirm residency. Nomination petitions require 10 valid signatures.
“When we're passing out petitions, if someone has questions, we always recommend that they get at least 20 signatures,” Alvarez said. “This is just to make sure that they have enough qualifying signatures, because the signatures have to be registered to vote and live inside town limits.”
A 0.4% sales tax increase will appear on the ballot. If approved by a simple majority, the measure would raise the town’s total sales tax rate from 4% to 4.4%.
Alvarez said the tax has not been raised since the 1990s and would be restricted to street and broadband capital needs, including equipment replacement and underground fiber infrastructure. The proposal does not include an increase to the use tax, which covers construction products, vehicle sales and similar items.
Alvarez said some of the town’s equipment is decades old, including a dump truck from
the early 1970s donated by the county.
“We have a very small budget, and our equipment is very old. The maintenance of our existing fleet is just not sustainable,” she said.
“Without capital and grants, just a regular operating income is about $800,000,” she added. “And when you figure a piece of heavy equipment is around six figures.”
If approved, the tax would also support underground broadband infrastructure. Alvarez said the funding would allow the town to take advantage of a “dig once” approach by installing fiber whenever streets are opened for other projects, reducing long‑term costs associated with repeated excavation.
Ballots will be mailed to registered voters. Completed ballots may be returned by mail, dropped off in the box in front of Town Hall without postage, or delivered inside the building. Alvarez said turnout in past spring elections has typically hovered around 275 to 280 ballots out of about 1,100 registered voters.
“If you want your voice heard anywhere and especially today when sometimes people don't feel heard and they get frustrated, you should vote in your small‑town elections,” she said.
To administer the election, the town hired Electionland consultants, marking the first time Mancos will conduct an election without using county equipment. Alvarez said the firm is assisting with compliance, timelines and ballot preparation to ensure transparency and adherence to state statute.
“They are on the Front Range. They don't have a dog in our fight,” she said. “So, it's much more transparent.”
Alvarez said the town wants to show that the election is being handled openly and fairly, with staff available to answer residents’ questions.
