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Residents urge permanent open-space tax as council weighs stewardship costs and acquisitions
Summary
City staff told council the Open Space program is funded largely by a sales-and-use tax that sunsets in 2034; staff outlined acquisition needs, stewardship costs and water-rights gaps while residents asked the council to place a permanent extension on the November ballot.
Longmont officials presented the history, current status and near-term needs of the city's Open Space Program on June 11, as residents and advisory boards urged a permanent extension of the program's sales-and-use tax.
Danielle Cassidy, Longmont's open space manager, told council the program began after voters approved an open-space sales tax in 2000 and the program has operated since 2002. Cassidy said the program's acquisition portfolio and conservation easements now cover most regional corridors but that staff estimates the city is about 70% of the way to its internal acquisition objectives. She said five potential properties identified within the next three to five years total roughly 280 acres with a land-only price estimate of about $6.2 million; additional conservation-easement work covers roughly 450 acres across six properties.
Cassidy highlighted stewardship as a central cost driver. She reported annual operating staff costs around $2.1 million and estimated stewardship in upland areas runs roughly $7,000 to $10,000 per acre; channel and creek work can be substantially higher, citing a Spring Gulch channel reshaping example near $1.5 million. Cassidy also said portions of the agricultural land purchased lacked water rights and that acquiring or securing water could raise purchase and operating costs.
Council discussed, at length, separating ongoing stewardship costs from new acquisition spending. Council member Martin requested quantified scenarios showing how much revenue would be required to preserve existing open-space quality versus the incremental cost of new acquisitions; city staff said they would prepare more detailed buckets and noted certain proposed acquisitions must remain confidential until negotiations complete because public disclosure can increase prices.
Several members of the public, including Dan Wolford and leaders of the "Stand with our St. Vrain" group, urged council to place a measure on the November ballot to make the open-space sales tax permanent. Wolford said volunteers had collected nearly 1,000 resident signatures seeking a permanent extension and that advisory boards (Parks & Recreation, Sustainability, Water, Transportation) were preparing letters of support.
City manager and staff described potential funding tools beyond a sales-tax renewal, including grant funding, partner contributions and debt issuance to spread the cost of acquisitions while preserving operating revenue for stewardship. Cassidy and staff emphasized that the current open-space sales-and-use tax funds most program activities and that the tax is due to sunset in 2034.
The presentation closed with an invitation for council and the public to an open-space tour the following Friday and a request from council members that staff return with clearer, quantified funding scenarios separating maintenance (stewardship) needs from acquisition priorities.
Cassidy said staff will continue refining acquisition and stewardship cost estimates and return to council with options, noting the program's dual mission of conserving wildlife corridors and supporting multimodal trails and recreation.
The council did not vote on any referral at this meeting; council members indicated they expected a public group to formally request a ballot referral at a future session.
