Aurora staff recommends $264.5 million bond program; council signals support to place three questions on November ballot

City staff recommended that Aurora voters be asked in November 2026 to authorize a three-question bond package totaling about $264.5 million to fund 65 identified capital projects across transportation, public safety and community facilities.

Deputy City Manager Laura Perry told the council the infrastructure task force and staff had identified roughly $2,000,000,000 in capital needs and used a prioritization framework—community value, project readiness, cost/leverage and asset preservation—to isolate tier-1 projects that are shovel-ready or near-ready. "Throughout the capital planning work, over $2,000,000,000 has been identified in capital needs," Perry said, urging council to prioritize projects that deliver broad public benefit.

Pollster Chris Keating of Keating Research presented recent survey results the city used to shape the proposal. "Aurora voters are ready to invest in these bonds and infrastructure, improvements and repairs," Keating said, summarizing a hybrid survey of 800 likely November 2026 voters with a reported margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. Keating reported majority support for smaller-dollar versions of each tested measure: roughly 60% support for an $80 million transportation measure, about 58% for an $80 million parks and recreation measure, and about 62% for a $42 million public-facilities (safety-focused) measure. Support remained a majority across wards and major demographic groups.

Staff framed a middle-path proposal as deliverable and consistent with that polling: a $264,500,000 bond program funded by a 0.325% sales and use tax increase (described in the presentation as about 3¢ on a $10 purchase) divided into three ballot questions for transportation, public safety and community facilities. The plan would fund 65 projects and leverage roughly $44 million in existing capital and impact fees, staff said. Sample projects listed include the Peoria bridge replacement, neighborhood park renovations (seven parks, at least one per ward), construction of Fire Station 19, upgrades to the Aurora 911 facility and renovations at multiple library branches.

Council members raised questions about possible opposition campaigns and ballot roll-off on a long election ballot. Keating and staff advised continued outreach and additional rounds of polling as the campaign develops. Keating said a strong, unified public-support effort by elected leaders and staff increases the likelihood of success.

When staff asked whether there was objection to referring the three questions to the November 2026 ballot, no member objected. The city attorney and staff noted that if council moves forward, ordinances and companion resolutions will be prepared (first reading planned for June 8 and final reading June 22) and that restrictions will apply around the use of city funds once those ordinances take effect.

Next procedural steps listed by staff include a May 18 study-session follow-up, June ordinance readings, and continued public outreach and campaign planning. If referred by council, staff said bond issuances would be staged according to IRS rules and project readiness rather than issued all at once.

The referral—if formally placed on the ballot and approved by voters—would allow Aurora to finance long-deferred replacement and rehabilitation work that staff says the annual budget alone could not cover in the near term.