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Cañon City residents urge committee to keep sales tax, prioritize pool and riverfront
Summary
At a Cañon City Ballot Study Committee meeting, multiple residents urged keeping the existing sales tax and placing a clear, TABOR‑compliant question on the ballot that funds both a modest city pool and the riverfront initiative; the committee said it will evaluate proposals and forward 2–3 options to council.
Cañon City residents pressed the Ballot Study Committee to retain the existing sales tax and prioritize funding for a modest, city‑operated pool alongside a riverfront redevelopment project.
"Since TABOR requires a single specific purpose for the ballot measure, I believe the most straightforward path is to combine 2 pageants that together would benefit a large portion of the community," public commenter Dawn Lincoln told the panel, urging a clear ballot description that voters can easily follow. Lincoln also said she would support continuing the existing 3.3% sales tax if the measure explicitly dedicated revenue to both projects.
Several other speakers backed continuing collections until legal language is settled. "I voted for this tax, which is very unusual... And this time, I did in '24," Gwen Ferguson said, arguing for a seasonal, affordable pool that the city would operate. Ben Gubings urged the committee to "put everything into one ballot measure" covering both construction and operations to increase the measure's chance of passage.
Council member Sarah McCullough (District Three) told the meeting there is "no requirement that we put this on the ballot" this year and that the city must consult attorneys about timing and lawful options. Committee members said they will seek legal guidance and that the panel’s recommendations will be advisory to the city council.
The meeting also included reports that the recreation district had communicated plans related to the old pool and demolition; committee members said those are operational questions for the recreation district. A commenter asked whether pool equipment had been transferred to Florence; an attendee said "It is," but committee members said the committee itself could not confirm that and deferred to the recreation district.
The committee listed a slate of candidate items to evaluate and said it will score proposals against criteria including legal liability, financial feasibility, operational feasibility and community alignment before forwarding two or three options to council. The group scheduled its next meeting for Monday the 29th and is aiming to present narrowed recommendations for council consideration by July 6.
