Pueblo public safety sales tax up for a vote in November

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Pueblo voters are tasked with deciding the fate of the public safety sales tax. The measure, which funds the needs of the police department, is back on the November ballot.

Ballot measure 2B, or the public safety sales tax, was first adopted in 2017. It's a 0.2% sales tax that already comes out of the city's 7.6% sales tax.

Over the last five years, $15 million has been used to pay for the salaries of four sergeants and 20 officers, two drones, and updating vehicles.

Pueblo City Council President Heather Graham said that crime is on the rise in Pueblo when discussing the tax.

"It's not just Pueblo. It's everywhere," said Graham.

Sgt. Frank Ortega with the Pueblo Police Department said if passed this year, the department will buy body-worn cameras and continue to update their vehicle fleet.

"With the recent changes to Colorado law, all of our officers need to have body-worn cameras. Previously, our officers that were assigned patrol had body-worn cameras and now we need everybody to be equipped with them, so that’s like a 300 thousand dollar increase," said Ortega.

According to Ortega, police departments across the country are struggling with staffing issues. He believes having the right equipment will help with recruiting.

"When people are looking at where they’re going to work they want to have that good equipment. The thing with our job, and pretty much any other job, is if you have the right equipment and it ain't breaking down you can do your job more effectively," said Ortega.

If voters approve renewing the tax, it will last for the next five years. If not, it will expire in December.