Commissioners debate sending $105.5 million Coliseum bond to May ballot; motion to place it fails for lack of second

Commissioners Court debated whether to place a $105,485,000 general-obligation bond for upgrades to the El Paso County Coliseum and adjacent campus on the May 3, 2025, ballot, but a motion to adopt the order died for lack of a second.

The discussion on item 8C ranged from technical ballot language to the project’s cost and tax impact. County staff and the county’s financial adviser, Stifel Public Finance, estimated the $105.485 million principal would result in roughly $169.7 million in total principal-and-interest repayment over 25 years and would raise the county’s interest-and-sinking (I&S) levy by about 1 cent per $100 of assessed value — an average tax effect Stifel calculated as about $1.67 per month for an average homeowner (roughly $20 per year).

Why it mattered: Commissioners and the public disagreed on whether the failed…