Breaking down the ballot: Issue 1B explained
Voters in parts of southern Colorado will vote on issue 1B this November.
The issue deals with stormwater. It asks voters to approve the creation of a new authority, the Pikes Peak Regional Drainage Authority, to oversee stormwater projects in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Fountain and Green Mountain Falls.
It also asks voters to approve a stormwater fee to be paid monthly during the next 20 years. The amount of the fee depends on the size of an owner’s property. For a 3,000 square foot home, the fee would be $7.70 a month. It would begin in 2016.
“That’s fixed for 20 years, so the fee would not go up at all during that 20-year period, not even for inflation,” said Rachel Beck, a member of the Pikes Peak Regional Stormwater Taskforce and spokesperson for the Yes On 1B campaign. “So you’ll know exactly what you’re going to pay. What you pay in 2016 is what you pay in 2036.”
The money collected would add up to $39,275,650 a year. That money would be used to tackle more than 100 stormwater projects. 55 percent of the money would go toward capital improvements, 35 percent for operation and maintenance, 10 percent for emergency and planning needs and 1 percent for administration expenses. Beck said after 20 years, the fee would be reduced, because the percentage that goes toward capital improvements would be eliminated.
The issue has some opposition.
“All of us know that we need to do something about stormwater, but instead of being just truthful and coming forward and saying we need to raise your taxes and here’s why so we can have an open and honest debate, we have this clever undercover approach of calling this a fee,” said Andy McElhany, former state senator and chair of Citizens for Cost-Effective Government.
Beck said regardless of what it’s called, it’s ultimately up to voters to decide on.
On Thursday, El Pomar Foundation’s Forum for Civic Engagement is hosting a debate regarding issue 1B. The panel will include El Paso County commissioner Amy Lathen, Colorado Springs council member Don Knight, Yes on 1B Campaign co-chair Dave Munger and business owner and civil engineer Vince Rusinak.
It will be held Thursday, Oct. 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm in the Garden Pavilion at the Penrose House, 1661 Mesa Avenue. There will be a reception after the forum. Attendees can RSVP by emailing sbarlow@elpomar.org or 719-577-7033.
