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Aurora briefs Arapahoe County on a "Build Up Aurora" infrastructure plan and possible 2026 bond
Summary
City of Aurora officials told commissioners their Build Up Aurora task force has identified roughly $700 million in unmet capital needs, has conducted public outreach and polling, and is evaluating funding options (sales tax, bonds, mill-levy mixes) with recommendations to the Aurora City Council expected next summer.
Jason Bachelor, city manager for the City of Aurora, and Laura Perry, the city's deputy city manager, presented the "Build Up Aurora" initiative to the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners. Perry said the task force has cataloged the city's unmet capital needs and is evaluating long-term funding options; she reported "we currently have over 700,000,000 in critical unmet capital project needs in the city."
Perry described a multi-pronged strategy that prioritized exhausting federal and state grant opportunities, delivering projects on time to build public trust, extensive community engagement (43 events and roughly 3,600 direct interactions and 2,600 online survey responses) and a final evaluation of funding strategies including potential bonds. The task force, co-chaired by council members Curtis Gardner and Francois Bergen, plans to present recommendations to Aurora City Council by next summer and could seek voter approval for bonds as early as November 2026.
Commissioners and Aurora staff discussed intergovernmental coordination on specific corridors, notably Gun Club Road and Quincy Avenue. Commissioner Jeff Baker cautioned about assuming financial responsibility for state-owned segments: he noted Gun Club North is a state highway and said CDOT had removed it from its 5-year plan. Aurora staff replied they would not recommend taking over a state-owned road without either a devolution process that included material financial contributions or a conversion to county standards.
Perry also described preliminary polling results: limited appetite for a new property-tax increase, stronger receptivity to a sales tax and potential mixed mechanisms to fund projects. She recommended a citizen oversight committee to maintain trust if the city pursues a bond measure. Aurora staff repeatedly framed this as a phased, transparent process that will aim to define deliverable projects within a 6-to-7-year construction window if voters approve funding.
No formal county action was taken; the session was a briefing and information-sharing opportunity intended to align county and city priorities and highlight areas for future coordination.
