County tax increase may appear on ballots

El Paso County officials will push a ballot initiative for a significant tax increase in 2007 to pay for a new jail and other badly needed services, County Commission Chairwoman Sallie Clark told business leaders Tuesday.

It’s too soon to say whether the tax would be a property or sales tax, how much it would be or what specifically it would go for, Clark said. A $25 million to $40 million jail expansion and other public safety improvements would be a priority, she said.

The most likely option is raising the property tax rate four to six mills from its rate of 7.7 mills, Clark said before delivering a “State of the County” address to the Colorado Springs Chamber.

Clark asked for the chamber’s support.

“The county’s elected officials will be coming forward in 2007 with a funding proposal that will involve a ballot initiative,” Clark said. “While we’re proud of our low taxes here, there’s a critical breaking point where we cannot continue to do more with less.

Clark’s call for a ballot initiative drew qualified support from commissioners Dennis Hisey and Wayne Williams and a “no way” from Commissioner Douglas Bruce.

Commissioner Jim Bensberg said it’s premature to discuss putting a property or sales tax increase on the November ballot.

All five commissioners are Republicans.

Bruce said he supports more money for law enforcement, but that it should come from cuts to other county departments and not higher taxes. He criticized his fellow commissioners for spending too much.

“It’s just mind-boggling how much money they waste and how little they seem to care about it,” he said.

Hisey said he favors a longterm solution for budget shortfalls the county has faced for several years. That will likely include putting a tax increase on the ballot.

Williams said he sees a need for more county revenue to pay for things such as more deputies to patrol outlying areas. He wants a ballot initiative to spell out what the money would be used for and what would happen if the measure fails.

Bensberg said the county shouldn’t put a tax increase on the ballot until it exhausts other possibilities for fixing jail crowding, such as pressuring the state and federal governments to take charge of prisoners now in county lockup.

Clark, in her speech, pointed out that El Paso County, with nearly 600,000 people, is the most populous of Colorado’s 64 counties. The county’s mill levy of 7.7 mills is the lowest of the 10 most populous counties in Colorado. The next lowest is Arapahoe County at 15.42 mills in 2006. The county also has the lowest mill levy per capita in the state at $66 a person. The next closest is Mesa County at $177.

Keeping taxes low has taken its toll on county services, facilities and staff, Clark said.

County employees’ salaries are 8.6 percent behind their counterparts in other cities and counties.

“Pay freezes at the county have become the norm rather than the exception,” she said. “How many of us would stay at a job when continually asked to take a pay cut or wage freeze?”

Sheriff’s Office shortfalls put deputies and the public at risk, she said. The shooting death last week of Colorado Springs police officer Kenneth Jordan highlights the need to invest in public safety, she said.

“We cannot continue to say because we have no sympathy for criminals, we don’t care about a jail facility,” Clark said. “Out of sight cannot be out of mind. The safety of our own public safety officials and our citizens are dependent on our local support.”

Sheriff Terry Maketa last week said the Sheriff’s Office needs 24 new deputies — 18 on patrol and six in the county jail — to meet the needs of the fast-growing county. Without them, county residents and deputies are at risk, he said.

Since 1990, population has increased 50 percent in the county’s unincorporated areas, and service calls have increased 137 percent, Maketa said. But the county hasn’t funded additional patrol deputies since 1990.

The county is falling behind in other areas as well, Clark said. Delaying vehicle and computer purchases, cutting the county jail’s work-release program, cuts to the travel and training budgets and delaying vehicle maintenance will all take their toll, she said.

A tax increase might be a tough sell in the business community, but it’s more likely to pass if business leaders are included early in the process, said Stephannie Finley, president of the chamber’s governmental affairs and public policy division.

“We have to have a voice in the process, she said.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0232 or

hethcock@gazette.com