Montezuma County commissioners on Tuesday agreed to move forward with ballot language for a potential 1% countywide sales tax in the November election.
The board revisited earlier conversations about how to divide the new revenue if voters approve the tax.
Previous talks proposed splitting the money evenly between the Road and Bridge Department and public safety needs as officials look to replace dwindling funds.
After Tuesday’s meeting, the board settled on drafting ballot language that would allocate 60% of the tax revenue to the Sheriff’s Office and 40% to the county’s Road and Bridge Department if voters approve the measure.
During Monday’s workshop, Commissioner Jim Candelaria said the original 50/50 split idea mirrored recommendations from the county’s 1997–98 comprehensive plan, which suggested an even division would fit the departments’ budgets.
Commissioner Gerald Koppenhafer questioned whether a 50-50 split reflects current fiscal realities, noting differences in mill levies and each department’s total budget.
For operating costs of the county jail and Sheriff’s Office, including salaries and benefits, the county will spend about $7.3 million this year, according to the budget. County officials have said previously that this amount is a 5% increase from last year and represents about 44% of the general fund.
The Road and Bridge Department’s budget is about $6.1 million this year for salaries, benefits and the cost of maintaining its fleet, according to the budget.
“I just don’t know that it needs to be 50/50,” Koppenhafer said, expressing concern about directing roughly $4 million to the road department if the tax were to generate an estimated $8 million annually.
“I think with the difference in the mill levy the Road and Bridge Department has and the difference in their budget compared to the S.O. (Sheriff’s Office), a 60-40 split would be the better split,” Koppenhafer said Tuesday.
County Administrator Travis Anderson said earlier assessments projected a 1% sales tax could generate a little more than $8 million, though Candelaria noted later that revenue may fluctuate from year to year.
After that initial discussion, commissioners said Tuesday they had reviewed department budgets more closely.
“The S.O. (Sheriff’s Office) is a higher amount with the jail standards and stuff they are going to have to deal with, I agree with them that it shouldn’t actually be 100% equal,” Candelaria said.
Koppenhafer proposed a 60-40 split favoring the Sheriff’s Office, calling it “the better split.” Commissioners agreed to that division, the 1% rate and to write ballot language exempting sales of agriculture equipment only.
The ballot measure is still in development as officials work with Magellan Strategies, a marketing firm, on voter research and messaging ahead of the fall election.
After Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners held an executive session on a legal question related to the firm.
That question asked: “What are the rules for government actors and employees as it relates to discussing or promoting a proposed ballot measure?”
awatson@the-journal.com
