Colorado Springs Mayor says TABOR retention question for new police academy is “too close to call”
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade says the race for ballot measure 2A is "too close to call."
At the Well on Tuesday night, he told KRDO13 that the measure, which would devote excess tax revenue to funding a new police training academy, may still pass despite being down over 4,000 votes.
"We don't know it's a loss yet. It's still too close to call," Mayor Mobolade said. "Would I have wanted a big win in the TABOR retention of maybe like the 57%, of course. We're not conceding because we just don't know. It's still still early to tell."
Right now, Mobolade says the Colorado Springs Police Department's space to train new recruits into full-time officers is badly in need of repairs. He adds that the growth that Colorado Springs is seeing is showing no signs of stopping any time soon, thus needing more police officers to address the public safety needs.
"The training that both our community is asking for and our law enforcement officers are asking for, this space provides an opportunity to really solve all those problems, including having a space that will just ensure that we are keeping up with the public safety needs for the future," Mobolade said.
Here's how ballot question 2A works: TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) monies, which are rightfully owed as excess tax revenue back to the citizens, would deliver the starting amount needed to fund a new Colorado Springs Police Academy. The money would come off of property owner's Colorado Springs Utilities bills, an amount between $21 and $28 annually.
Mayor Mobolade says renters in the City of Colorado Springs would be left off this tax credit because they would not be eligible for it. Additionally, the $4.75 million in money collected from this TABOR retention would only be the starting amount for finding, building, and staffing a new police academy in a new space.
Ballot question 2A has drawn the ire of Dave Donelson, a Colorado Springs City Councilman, who was the lone dissenting vote when the council voted to put this on the November ballot.
He says he's voting no because there are more questions than answers surrounding where the money will go and how much is needed to fund the entire new academy space, which to date no location has been narrowed down.
"I'm pleased because this is what I believe, that we didn't have a real plan for what we're going to do with the money and we didn't really have a good plan for how we're going to pay off the remaining portion besides the 4.75 million," Donelson said.
Donelson says he doesn't think Tuesday night's preliminary results equate to the voters not valuing public safety needs. Instead, he says the results mean the citizens want their money to go back into their pockets, not to a police training academy that remains in the "planning phase."
"I believe the citizens of El Paso County, Colorado Springs, strongly support their police and their deputy sheriffs. 100% believe I've said that the whole time," Donelson said. "Citizens just want fiscal responsibility in their city government."
