City staff presented four draft ballot proposals on July 15 and told the council that they will return July 22 with commissioned polling and recommended language before asking council to decide what to place on the November ballot.

Caitlin and budget staff framed four categories tested in polling: a public‑safety tax increase, an affordable housing and homeless solutions tax increase, a combined public‑safety/homelessness package, and an economic‑development measure.

Public safety: staff modeled a program of police, fire and emergency‑management investments that would use roughly $13.6 million in annual funding in the full programming shown. That stack included nine firefighters to reduce mandatory overtime and raise the staffing relief factor, several fire administration and prevention positions, a six‑person peak‑demand (alternative response) unit, police support positions (records, body‑worn camera technicians), four Real‑Time Information Center technicians (two for a proposed drone‑first‑responder program tied to grant activity), 12 patrol vehicles and funding for a new Station 8 / joint public‑safety complex (predevelopment and modeled debt service). Staff noted that some capital costs could be offset by future development‑impact fees as growth arrives.

Affordable housing and homelessness: staff said the homelessness team would shrink drastically without sustained funding — homelessness staffing would fall from 30 to 7 and housing‑solutions staffing from 8 to 3 if current grants expire without replacement. The housing/homeless package presented to council would fund: sustaining and expanding housing solutions staff; a home‑repair and down‑payment assistance program; gap financing incentives for affordable housing development; continued rapid rehousing and outreach; operations for a 365‑day year‑round shelter (staff showed a $2.9 million annual operations estimate as the full cost before grants); and an expansion of rapid‑rehousing and permanent‑supportive‑housing services. Staff told council that homelessness and housing staffing at risk included 23 homelessness positions and 5 housing positions once grant funding lapses.

Combined measure: staff described a combined public‑health and public‑safety measure that would fund a subset of the two areas above. They warned of a Colorado single‑subject/TABOR concern that can complicate packaging multiple topics on one ballot question and said shelter funding was not included in the combined option presented because of resource constraints.

Economic development: staff presented an economic development package intended to seed business assistance funds, small‑business loans and grants, workforce programs, a small‑business resource center, startup and incubator programs and redevelopment incentives tied to downtown and the Greeley Technology Park. Staff listed a possible $14 million annual program stack in the polling materials but said it would require a public education campaign; they noted such investments can be long‑term and aimed at generating new commercial tax base over time.

Why it matters: staff emphasized the trade‑offs: separate measures let voters fund one issue more fully; a combined measure may draw broader support but would spread limited revenue across needs. Staff scheduled a July 22 work session to present full polling results and recommended ballot language; first and second readings were proposed for August with a final council decision before the November election.

Ending: Councilors asked for quicker access to the poll questions and results; staff agreed to provide the packet and offered two‑by‑two briefings on request. Legal staff flagged potential TABOR/single‑subject constraints and said language and packaging would be reviewed before any final council placement on the ballot.