EPC voters reject stormwater question Tuesday

For the second time in three years, El Paso County voted against a proposal to address a backlog of stormwater improvements.

Question 1B would have placed a monthly fee on property taxes to generate $40 million annually. The money, overseen by a appointed local authority, was to be spent on a priority list of more than 100 projects.

In 2011, a similar fee, known as the Stormwater Enterprise, ended after voters repealed it.

Douglas Bruce, a former county commissioner and state lawmaker, was a driving force in opposing both plans.

“The supporters outspent me 100 to 1,” he said. “I think the voters were angry that local politicians said this was a fee when it was really a tax. Voters don’t like being lied to. It’s the worst ballot issue I’ve ever seen.”

Bruce blamed local elected leaders for failing to strictly enforce drainage requirements on developers.

Supporters previously said it took them two years to reach a consensus on 1B, and that it’ll take another two years to agree on an alternate plan.