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Commissioners direct staff to test ballot options: EMS mill/sales package and Road & Bridge use/sales tax analysis
Summary
After hearing EMS and Road & Bridge needs, commissioners asked staff to research use‑tax revenue (motor vehicles and building materials), publish an RFP for polling, and pursue two ballot tracks this cycle—EMS funding and Road & Bridge—while noting the sheriff prefers more education before joining a measure.
Board members used work‑session presentations from EMS and Road & Bridge to begin setting priorities for possible 2026 ballot measures.
Nate (OCEMS) told the board roughly half of EMS calls serve nonresidents and proposed a two‑part funding approach: a stable property‑tax mill levy to sustain staffing and a sales tax to capture visitor share. ‘‘Approximately 51% of our EMS calls in Ouray County are basic life support and involve nonresidents,’’ Nate said, arguing that a sales tax lets visitors contribute to the system they use.
Ty (Road & Bridge) described a separate funding imperative: a decades‑long gravel backlog (staff estimate: average replacement cycle ~47 years under current revenue), deferred bridge/guardrail needs, and an equipment replacement plan that he values at roughly $10 million. To close the road gap Ty proposed a standalone road sales/use‑tax and asked the board to consider keeping federal PILT money in the general fund instead of current dispersals to Road & Bridge to free ~$212,000 for the county’s general budget.
Commissioners and staff discussed options to avoid overburdening voters: use‑tax measures that capture motor‑vehicle registration/use and construction/building‑materials purchases; a sales‑tax increase (some commissioners expressed concern about exceeding a ~10% total local sales tax threshold for the county and municipalities); and phased polling to test which combination would be most acceptable to voters. Commissioners emphasized the need for public education and for municipal agreement if a county‑wide sales/use tax is proposed.
The board directed staff to: (1) analyze realistic revenue for a motor‑vehicle use tax and a building‑materials use tax (what 1% or 2% would produce, thresholds and credits), (2) prepare a shared research folder of precedent ballot language and past polling, and (3) issue an RFP for a pollster to test multiple ballot structures and messages. The clerk’s office and finance staff will supply historical sales, vehicle registration and building‑permit valuation data to support those forecasts.
The sheriff’s office said it is not inclined to seek a ballot measure this year and wants dedicated funding earmarked for the sheriff rather than unspecified general‑fund increases; commissioners said the sheriff’s request will be part of a broader public‑safety conversation for a later vote if needed.
Next steps: staff will return with use‑tax revenue estimates, completed data exports for EMS (residency/incident type/seasonality), and polling proposals; the board signaled preference to pursue two prioritized tracks this cycle—EMS funding and Road & Bridge funding—while reserving broader public‑safety packaging for future planning.
