Voters will decide in the Nov. 4 election if they're willing to pay a 1 percent sales tax to boost the budgets of public health and safety agencies.

The tax would raise an estimated $75 million in its first year, distributed among agencies such as the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office, the county Health Department, and police and fire agencies in the county's eight municipalities. It would be the biggest tax increase ever in El Paso County, raising money backers say is essential to combat crime and health threats such as infectious disease.

The El Paso County commissioners voted 3-2 Thursday to put the measure on the ballot, following nearly eight hours of sometimes-impassioned pleas from supporters and opponents of the tax. Most of the commissioners took pains to say their decision isn't the final word. According to the Colorado Constitution, the government can't impose new taxes without a sign-off from voters.

"At some point, you have to trust the people," said Commissioner Dennis Hisey, who chairs the panel. "I am certainly willing to do that. They are the ones that elected me."

Commissioners Hisey, Sallie Clark and Wayne Williams voted to put the question to voters. Jim Bensberg and Amy Lathen opposed placing it on the ballot. Bensberg proposed, instead, a half-percent sales tax, which would have been kept only by the county.

"If other municipalities would like to approach their voters separately, they have that prerogative," Bensberg said.

Lathen supported Bensberg's proposal, but the idea failed. Bensberg predicted voters will reject the 1 percent sales tax based on worries over the area's soft economy.

Other opponents of the measure had similar assessments, including state Sen. Andy McElhany, R-Colorado Springs, co-chairman of the opposition group.

"I've never seen members of our community stressed so much about their personal financial situations as they are right now," McElhany told the commissioners. "The timing is terrible. Raising taxes in a recession is never a good idea."

But some commissioners challenged McElhany to offer an alternative to a new tax when the county is struggling under annual budget shortfalls in the millions of dollars and increasing demands from the state and federal governments. McElhany had no answer.

"I would dearly love to be able to tell you what to cut. I don't know what to tell you," he said.

The commissioners also aggressively questioned Daniel Cole, the campaign manager for the opposition group, after he acknowledged having reviewed only parts of the county budget. Later, Cole noted the commissioners could find a way to manage without the new revenue by reviewing their own budget process. The county's 2009 budget, now being prepared, will include a version that assumes the tax measure passes and another version that assumes it is rejected.

The tax supporters, a group called Citizens for Effective Government, urged the commissioners to let voters evaluate the options and decide on the tax. They pointed to violent crime, poor conditions in the county coroner's office and the county government's diminished ability to deliver services. Sheriff Terry Maketa said he's so short-staffed for patrol deputies that a recent report of gunfire at Ellicott High School had a response time of 45 minutes.

"These are real stories," said Stephannie Finley, co-chairwoman of the group and a vice president with the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce. "It is not melodramatic to convince our community about this ballot initiative."