We have worked hard to present Ballot Question 2A to assist the voter in being an informed participant in the 2023 local election.
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Ballot Question 2A referred to voters by City Council
Use and retain a lodging tax to help fund childcare for Pueblo’s families.
Question 2A would increase lodging tax by 1.5% in the City of Pueblo creating a fund to make child care more affordable for working or student parents.
A YES vote allows the City to collect a lodging tax designated for a special fund to lessen the cost burden of childcare on parents not qualified for federal assistance. The raised funds would be apportioned by a local oversight committee. Money collected above expectations would be able to be kept for similar use, an exception to the TABOR limits. This sunsets in 5 years unless voter renewed.
A NO vote means that no tax would be levied and a fund to help families in need of childcare would not be created.
This Issue and TABOR
TABOR dictates how this is presented on the ballot. Not making highly specific statements about the funds generated allows some discretion of their use; otherwise, any change forces it to another vote of the people and may make funds unusable.
Additionally, this refers to a prior Question, now Ordinance No. 9998 where voters chose to use and retain funds above TABOR limits. This is validation of that process in the city of Pueblo.
Impacts of Question 2A
Use and retain a lodging tax to help fund childcare for Pueblo’s families.
The fund created would help some families be able to return to work or school while their children receive licensed childcare. The effectiveness of this program would be continually evaluated and direct future use of the fund or its option for voter renewal in 5 years.
The lodging tax increase would add an average $1.77 to a night’s stay in the city of Pueblo. The lodging industry feels that this may cause a shift of bookings, especially of large groups, to nearby locations, like Colorado Springs because their lodging taxes are slightly lower.
Ballot Measures
Definitions: Measures include Questions and Issues. Either can be referred (by a legislative body): Referendum (singular); or initiated by citizen petition: Initiative
Issues are measures that deal with taxes and are required by TABOR (section 20 of article X of the state constitution) to have an ALL CAPS format, be a single sentence that asks: SHALL TAXES BE INCREASED BY ‘X’ AMOUT….
The designated letter or number or combination is specific to the way a measure has gotten to the ballot or to the very specific type of measure it is, i.e., County measures are designated, 1A-1Z. There are 7 total categories for these. Colorado General Assembly referenda are designated with a ‘double letter’ (in 2019), i.e. Proposition CC. More information is available at the Secretary of State (S. O. S.) website. For instance, Rule 4 of the Colorado Revised Statutes lists the letter and number given to the different types of categories. 4.5.2(e)(3)
Propositions amend the Colorado Revised statutes.
Amendments amend the Colorado State Constitution.
Some have suggested that the Pro and Con agents registered with the S. O. S. office be listed as well. It is often telling when a certain entity or person, for instance, oppose or support a measure.
The italicized portion above would probably not go into a pamphlet, but is here for our use.