Huge Crowds Predicted for Sales Tax Tussle this Thursday
Trevor Phipps
It’s now show time in the lengthy fight between the Woodland Park City Council and the WP RE-2 District School Board, with verbal fireworks expected to ignite again on March 6, a forum that could result in a clear winner in a wild and ongoing political brawl that has persisted for months.
And most likely, the WP Council Chambers will be filled to capacity, as this showdown reaches a mini-conclusion.
The political battle between the Woodland Park school district and the city council that has plagued the City Above the Clouds for over a year reignited to new heights over the past few weeks. The controversial 1.09 percent sales tax given to the schools could finally get resolved this Thursday as city council plans to hold a public hearing. At this time, council members will vote on whether or not to repeal the tax that has already been approved by city voters on two occasions: the most recent time, of November 2024.
This is an issue that just won’t die.
Just when most residents thought that the last November election decided that the sales tax would stay indefinitely, sparks flew once again after council members voiced their concerns about the school district’s spending reports. Some on the council were dissatisfied with how the district sales tax funds were being spent, and viewed a recent summary report provided by the district as an absolute insult.
And despite the school district furnishing a new and more detailed report within their 30-day deadline, the council has opted to continue their push to eliminate the sales tax increase. During the council meeting on Feb. 20, the council voted 5-2 (Mayor Kellie Case and Councilman George Jones voting “no”) to send the ordinance to eliminate the tax to the public hearing stage. As a result, the issue is set to get decided during the regular council meeting on March 6.
During the previous council meeting, the mayor decided to not allow public comment since it was an initial posting. This is standard procedure for initial reviews of proposed ordinances by the Woodland Park City Council. In addition, the mayor did not open the floor for council discussion surrounding the topic,and sent it straight to a vote.
This action occurred, despite a large crowd in attendance at the Feb. 20 meeting, along with a television crew from a major regional television network.
As a result, the stage is set for the main decision-making to occur at the March 6 session.
In fact, this Thursday residents should expect a long meeting, filled with heated discussions and public comments surrounding whether or not to axe the sales tax. For the last year or so, meetings involving the school tax have become quite animated with passionate speakers on each side of the issue
Despite the opinions expressed by the public, the fate of sales tax issue will come down solely to a majority vote of the council. Already, Woodland Park voters have decided to approve this levy on two occasions by fairly substantial margins. But one of the apparent problems is that no sunset clause exists with this sales tax increase.
And based on prior discussions and levies, it seems as if most on the dais now favor eliminating the levy. But proponents of the levy have some heavy hitters in the community and have outlined some of their concerns in a letter published in this week’s TMJ. During last November’s election campaign, proponents of continuing the tax argued that foes of the current RE-2 School Board should not punish the kids in the district for policies they don’t agree with. Sales Tax
Taking a Big Financial Hit
If the council votes to pass Ordinance No. 1492 (the proposal to repeal the sales tax), the sales tax increase of 1.09 percent of funds going to the school district will cease on July 1. Therefore, the citywide sales tax would then be lowered by 1.09 percent, without it affecting the city’s tax revenue numbers.
According to numbers given by both the school district and city council, the sales tax increase given to support the school district accounts for around $3.5 million per year. The most recent spending report released by the school district stated that the majority of the funds go to teachers’ salaries and paying back a loan that was taken out when the tax was approved by voters in 2016.
During the weeks leading up to the November election when repealing the tax was on the ballot, school district officials stated that losing that kind of funding all at once would result in a serious financial hit to the district. School officials said that programs and certain key activities would end, if those funds weren’t available for the district. Those who campaigned to keep the tax said that taking the tax away would only unnecessarily hurt the district’s students.
Consequences of the Tax Getting Eliminated
When the sales tax increase was brought up again during an earlier meeting in February, Councilwoman Carrol Harvey suggested that the current intergovernmental agreement could end, with the council’s intentions of replacing it. Harvey suggested that the council could call for a special election to put a new sales tax increase on the ballot, which would have a sunset date. The new ballot questions would also outline in detail where the funds could be spent.
In addition, some have spoken publicly about what the school board, and those supporting the RE-2 District, could do if the tax gets repealed. For the last few months, rumors have circulated throughout town regarding the intent of some residents to recall certain council members due to their stance on the school sales tax.
If the council votes to end the tax, citizens could start the petition process to recall members of the council. The petitioners would have to get a substantial number of signatures from registered voters to force a special recall election, which could oust a number of council members from their seats.
And according to local news reports, an attorney for the school district has already sent an e-mail to the city attorney threatening to file for a court injunction and sue the city if the sales tax is repealed. Therefore, another possibility is that the council’s actions could be halted by a judge, while the lawsuit process plays out in court. Another side issue has further added more confusion to this controversy: The school district’s head financial officer, Jack Bay, recently resigned due to what he referred to as outright harassment by certain council members and the continual back and forth squabble over the tax issue.
Regardless of the political fireworks over the apparent tension between these two elected bodies, Thursday’s meeting could spell the end of the controversial sales tax for the time being. However, it’s safe to say that the city has not experienced the end of this political battle.
