COMMERCE CITY COUNCIL “PLANS” FOR BUDGET SHORTFALL

This last Friday evening and Saturday, the Commerce City council met at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for a planning retreat with all department heads of the city. There is currently a reported $8 million shortfall for the 2012 budget so one hot topic of discussion was how to increase revenues.

Some of the proposed items to increase the city’s revenue are as follows:

Increase Impact Fee
*Sales Tax Increase
*Property Tax Increase
*Sales Tax on Food
*Head Tax
Form a New GID (General Improvement District)
Form Recreation District
Toll on Tower Road
*Admission or Seat Tax
*Carbon Base Fuel Tax
Park – Road Improvement Fee
Parking Fee Dedicated to Tower Road
Advertising on City Vehicles
Graffitti Removal Fee
Additional Cell Tower
*Increase Motel Tax
Increase Road Impact Fee
Additional Redlight Cameras
Refuse Collection Fee
Stormwater – Sewer Fee

*would need voter approval on a ballot initiative

It should be noted that all taxes must be presented to the people at the polls due to the TABOR law in Colorado, so voters will have to vote yes on any proposed tax before those could be implemented. The Admission or Seat tax has been defeated at the polls before in Commerce City and the city does not have a significant number of motels to collect tax from. City council does still have refuse or garbage collection on the table as a source of revenue, which means it will no longer be free for residents.