El Paso County commissioners send public safety tax renewal to voters

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The El Paso County Board of Commissioners voted to send a renewal of the Public Safety Tax to voters in November.

The vote passed 5-0 to approve a second reading of the measure before referring the renewal to voters in the general election.

The county initially announced its plan to consider an extension a few weeks ago. Now, voters will decide whether to continue the existing 0.23% Public Safety Fund tax, which was originally implemented in 2023.

Officials say they were looking at extending the tax as the county's population continues to grow. According to county data, the Pikes Peak region has grown around 18% since the Public Safety Tax first went into effect but calls for emergency services have increased by over 30%.

The county says the funding directly supports almost 200 employees in the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO). The fund also supports EPSO's Wildland Fire Unit and its new Falcon-area substation.

The tax has already been extended before in 2018 to expire in 2029. According to officials, the fund generates around $40 million annually to support public safety infrastructure and operations, including EPSO staffing needs, body-worn cameras, prisoner transport and extraditions and wildland firefighting equipment and personnel.

The measure will appear as Issue 1A on November's ballot.

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