NOREEN: Vague 1A never had a chance of passing
Tuesday's Colorado Springs election was just like old times.
Measure 1A, the vague proposal to devote about $50 million over 15 years to economic development, went down in flames, as about 62 percent of the voters rejected it. Anyone familiar with city election results in the past 25 years knew the nebulous, open-ended 1A was doomed from the start, but somehow, the City Council hoped voters would forget themselves.
Nope. The voters did what they always do here. They'll support an occasional tax increase, but to sell them on the idea, backers must be specific about how the tax money will be spent.
Consider: The trails and open-space sales tax, targeting a specific agenda, was approved in 1997. The Springs Community Improvements Program, with a list of more than 30 projects, was approved in 1998. A public-safety sales tax was approved in 2001, again with a detailed list of proposed expenditures. In 2004, the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority tax passed because voters could envision specific infrastructure.
With measure 1A, City Hall essentially said, "Trust us with the $50 million. We'll get back to you in 15 years."
Voters went for the meat and potatoes but passed on the French pastry.
"I'm surprised at the margin," said Vice Mayor Larry Small. "I'm not surprised at the result."
Councilwoman Jan Martin acknowledged that the lack of specifics hurt 1A, recalling that, early in the council's process, "It was recommended that we wait until November and come back with a more detailed plan."
Conceivably, that could still happen, although the 62 percent majority is bound to have a chilling effect on plans to bring an initiative back very soon.
The results didn't convey an anti-City Hall sentiment. By a slim margin, voters were backing a measure to allow the city to keep $1.2 million in "surplus" revenues that came in above the level limited by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. Two of the council's four measures appeared to be winning, and a third was narrowly losing.
"The people of Colorado Springs have always been pretty judicious in their voting," Small said. Mayor Lionel Rivera echoed that: "Our citizens actually are very choosy. They study the issues."
Rivera said the margin against 1A means voters don't want to provide stimulus packages to lure new businesses. Sean Paige, who helped lead the effort against 1A, said, "I believe that's just not an idea that's going to fly around here."
Dan Cleveland, head of the Trails and Open Space Coalition, was pleased a measure designed to spend open-space funds on park maintenance appeared to be going down narrowly. But, he said, "What it means is that people do realize there's a need to maintain parks. It's incumbent on all of us to come up with a better volunteer program."
City Hall won a couple and lost a couple, just like old times.
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