Pueblo West voters approve third attempt at sales tax increase for road improvements on Election Day

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The rural community of Pueblo West will soon have much needed funding for road maintenance, thanks to voter approval of ballot Question 6C on Tuesday.

The question to raise the sales tax 1% for the next ten years (beginning Jan. 1 ) passed by a margin of 53% to 47%.

Two previous requests for additional sales tax revenue for roads failed at the polls; the extra funding will allow Pueblo County to take over most, if not all, of the maintenance duties from the Pueblo West Metro District.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 reported in August that improving the road infrastructure also would significantly reduce the frequency and degree of road flooding in the area.

Pueblo County Commissioner Chris Wiseman explained that the question passed this time because of growing public frustration about road conditions, and the inclusion of a citizen board to decide which projects have the highest priority.

"We're hoping that we can hit the ground running in January and do as much work as we can right away," he said. "To that end, we're already experimenting with paving that uses recycled plastics so that we can make the most of our money."

A 2012 study identified $75 million in upgrades to roads and drainage infrastructure are needed -- a cost that likely has doubled or tripled, given today's costs and inflation.

"We'd likely need around $11 million a year to completely catch up on that," said Metro District spokesman Anthony Sandstrom. "That's more than our entire budget for public works. But the tax increase will allow us to do two or three times as many projects as we do now."

What still has to be determined before the tax increase begins, are specifics about which entity will be responsible for what percentage of the community's 400 miles of paved and unpaved roads.

The Pueblo West Metro district presently receives only a small amount from local property taxes and Pueblo County -- an amount that was sufficient when the community was established in 1969 but has fallen short now, with increases in growth and development.

Passage of the ballot question also will allow more workers to be hired, to perform maintenance and repair duties more often.