Election could bring city permanent revenue increase

Read More Here: "The city of Grand Junction will receive a permanent boost in funding beginning either next year or within the next decade, unless voters reject both municipal ballot measures that seek a sales-tax increase and an elimination of a revenue cap.

Council members last week agreed to refer two questions to city voters in the Nov. 4 general election. The first question asks voters to approve a quarter-cent sales-tax increase to help pay for $98 million in new public safety buildings. The second question asks voters to allow the city to permanently retain and spend revenue above the limit imposed by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

City officials worded the questions in such a way that the only way the sales-tax increase expires is if voters approve the second question. Under that scenario, the city’s sales tax would revert back to 2.75 percent when the city pays off the Riverside Parkway project debt, estimated to be in 2015 or 2016.

Asked why the city didn’t include the sunset provision on the sales-tax increase with the sales-tax question, Mayor Gregg Palmer said it wouldn’t generate enough sales-tax revenue to fully fund construction of the public safety projects. City financial officers produced a spreadsheet this week showing the extra quarter cent in sales tax would produce a little more than $51 million in revenue by 2016."