Mayor Graham proposes four 0.25% ballot measures (1% total) to fund fire, roads, nonprofits and parks as city faces $10M shortfall

PUEBLO, Colo. 97 Mayor Graham on Monday presented four proposed ballot questions that together would raise the city99s sales-tax rate by 1 percentage point (four separate 0.25% measures), each designed to create a separately earmarked fund for fire and city technology; roads and infrastructure; contractual nondepartmental/nonprofit funding; and parks and recreation.

Graham said each 0.25% measure would generate about $5.7 million annually based on 2024 figures, and that dedicating discrete funds would allow the council to protect priorities identified in town halls and preserve services as the city faces a projected $10.3 million deficit for 2027. 93These ballot measures are a creative way to keep services as they are and also to increase capital,94 Graham said.

The fire and technology fund would cover long-lead capital such as fire pumpers (a single pumper can cost upward of $1 million), station repairs, EKG monitors and municipal IT projects such as authentication and court-streaming compliance. The roads and infrastructure fund was described as a flexible match source for milling and overlay, bridge work (the Union Bridge was cited as a notable need), curb and gutter, signal improvements and ADA ramps. The nonprofit/nondepartmental fund would restore a contractual avenue for nonprofits to receive city funding via CSAC allocations, and the parks measure would support pools, youth programming, field lighting, lake dredging and staff to run programs.

Councilors asked for clearer ballot language and asked whether items might instead be separated (for example, a stand-alone fire tax rather than 93fire and technology94 together). Council President (noted in the meeting) and others urged specificity to improve voter understanding and acceptance. 93It's very hard to pass a ballot initiative when it comes to taxes anyway,94 one councilor said, urging clearer descriptions of intended uses.

Finance staff (Dan) explained that if the measures pass each would be held in a separate fund and not commingled with the general fund. Councilors also asked about a parallel, signature-driven zoo tax that is expected to appear on a ballot; mayoral staff said the zoo measure would remove the zoo line from the contractual nondepartmental item if both passed.

Graham framed the measures as partial remedies to the projected gap, saying they would not fully erase the $10.3 million shortfall but could reduce the need for immediate layoffs and service cuts. She said the city had already frozen hiring for dozens of positions and planned a second round of voluntary separations.

The mayor also walked council through the 2027 budget timeline: the proposed budget must be submitted to council by Oct. 5, work sessions are scheduled in October, a public hearing is set for Oct. 26, first reading of the budget on Nov. 9 and final reading on Nov. 23. Graham invited council members to attend department-level budget briefings this month so they are informed ahead of the November vote.

Councilors raised open-meetings and separation-of-powers concerns about attending mayor-led budget briefings; legal staff and the mayor said the sessions could be posted under the open-meetings law and would be informational, not a substitute for council's legislative authority to pass the budget.

No ballot language was finalized at the work session. Councilors instructed staff to return with suggested wording options, cost breakdowns for specific capital items where possible, and clarity on interactions with other ballot measures before the council votes to put any proposals on the ballot.