Vote Yes on 2B, 2C and 2D
What the measures do:
Yes on 2B: This is a new .15% sales tax to fund Transportation for 6 years (2014-2019). It will beef up the badly underfunded roadway infrastructure in the city, as well as provide investment for transit and other bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
Yes on 2C: This will extend the current sales tax of .33% for Open Space and reallocate it between both Open Space and the General Fund. The current tax is set to expire in 2018. From 2019 to 2034, Open Space will get .22% and the General Fund will get .11%. From 2035 on, Open Space will get .10% and the General Fund will get .23%.
Yes on 2D: This will extend the current sales tax of .15% for Open Space and reallocate it to Transportation and the General Fund. The current tax is set to expire in 2019. This will extend it for 20 years – with the first 10 years supporting Transportation and the next 10 years supporting the General Fund.
Why we like them all:
Better Boulder supports Open Space funding as an integral part of our quality of life. And we support multimodal transportation development (whether you want to walk, bike, bus or drive around town.) We also support taking steps to build a more sustainable City of Boulder budget that will be flexible to our community’s changing needs. This combo of two existing and one new tax moves us in that direction.
2B is a short term (5 year) sales tax boost to meet critical needs today until 2D kick in (2020).
2C doesn’t raise taxes and it provides enough funding for all of the needs identified in the open Space Vision Plan while also building the General Fund, from which the city funds many other essential services (see: police, fire, libraries, human services, parks, recreation, and more.)
2D doesn’t raise taxes either. Like 2C, it extends current sales tax rates and eventually reallocates the revenues to support Transportation and the General Fund after the Open Space Vision Plan has been realized.
If all 3 pass Open Space will still receive .62% sales tax revenue from now through 2034. After that, Open Space will still get .55%. In these tough economic years, Open Space is the only City of Boulder department working off of its ‘Vision’ budget – it will still be able to accomplish all of its current acquisitions and maintenance plans with the adjusted funding. At the same time, the General Fund and Transportation have been making cuts to services because of decreasing revenues and increasing demands.