Three tax-slashing and government-limiting initiatives on the November ballot would cripple Denver’s finances and restrict the city’s ability to borrow money to make improvements, Denver City Council members say.
The council plans to pass a proclamation tonight urging voters to reject Amendments 60 and 61, along with Proposition 101. Voters statewide will vote on the proposals in November.
Amendment 60 would roll back and limit property taxes. Proposition 101 would slash about $62 million in local taxes from the city’s general fund, more than the city spends annually on parks and recreation.
Amendment 61 would lower Denver’s debt threshold so much that the city would either have to delay or no longer proceed with $121 million worth of projects and infrastructure upgrades already approved by voters, budget officials say.
Voters approved the spending as part of a $550 million bond package in 2007.
I, for one, will vote yes on all three of these Amendments. The government continues to request increases in our taxes and the poor working stiff is the only one that has to foot the bill for all of their reckless spending. Everything continues to go up and our income is not increasing at the same rate. I cannot and will not continue to support the government in the style that they accustomed.
We spend a billion a year to maintain the “undocumented people” here. Quit providing for the “undocumenteds” and we can proceed with the $121 million worth of projects and infrastructure that was part of the 2007 $550 million package that was already approved. The government tells the voters that their taxes will go to one thing and then they borrow from that package to pay for something else and then turn around and ask for more money for the project we already approved. How much have we poured into RTD? That is a bottomless pit of reckless spending.
Until the government can show me that they have stopped wasteful spending and can show me their budget and what is spent where, then I will continue to vote down their request for more money.
I have struggled about how to vote on these amendments but I think I have decided to vote yes as well, my concern was how repairs or additions to infrastructure would be paid for, but you are correct, there needs to be better control of how our money is spent and they will have to do a better job of monitoring expenses. I suspect there are many cuts that can be made to accomodate improvements.