Resident urges Montezuma County to refer a county-only sales tax for public safety and workforce housing

A Montezuma County resident on Jan. 6 asked commissioners to explore referring a county-only, voter-approved sales tax to fund public safety and workforce housing and property tax relief for first responders and teachers.

Lynetta Scholl told the board she had worked on housing issues and that recruiting and retaining deputies, volunteer firefighters, EMTs, dispatchers and teachers has become more difficult amid rising housing costs and property taxes. Scholl asked the board to consider a sales tax range between 0.10% and 0.24% (10–24 cents per $100 of taxable purchases). She offered a 0.15% example, saying it would generate approximately $7,750,000 annually and proposed splitting that revenue 60% for a public-service worker fund and 40% for public safety and emergency services. Scholl said the program could be administered by existing county departments — with the finance department managing the account and the assessor verifying property eligibility — and would be subject to Colorado’s TABOR requirements for voter approval.

Commissioners did not vote on the proposal during the meeting; the chair later clarified that the board was only accepting a proposal from a consultant (Magellan Strategies) to return with more detailed messaging and implementation options for later review, not deciding to place a tax on the ballot. Scholl’s recommendation was presented as public comment for the board’s consideration rather than as a formal motion. The board directed staff to accept and review consultant proposals and to bring back materials for future discussion.