The primary revenue sources for Colorado cities and towns are local sales and use taxes. Statewide, municipalities generate more than $5 in these taxes to every $1 of property taxes. Sales and use taxes enable municipalities to fund public services and improvements and keep municipal property taxes relatively low.
Tax and fiscal issues are directly addressed in several of CML's guiding documents: our policy statement and statehouse briefing. The CML Sales Tax Simplification Committee examines sales and use tax issues.
Budget basics
The Department of Local Affairs and Colorado Government Finance Officers Association frequently provide workshops on budget basics and statutory requirements of local government budgeting.
Economic development efforts
The Town of Green Mountain Falls is going through an interesting economic development initiative looking at community-based assets in a study conducted by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments. View the presentation made at the CML District 4 Fall Meeting.
CML releases State of Our Cities & Towns report and video
Read the State of Our Cities & Towns report and survey details, or watch the video.
Tax and fiscal updates
- An impressive collection of associations (including the National Governors Association, National Conference of State Legislators, National League of Cities, Government Finance Officers Association, and more) issued a fact sheet on state and local bankruptcy, municipal bonds, and state and local pensions.
- Notes from CML Executive Director Sam Mamet on fixing the mess in state and local government budgets (pdf) at the recent Colorado Business Economic Forum.
- What elected officials need to know about your city's finances (pdf) - a Lunch & Learn presenation by Bert Bondi, Bondi & Co.
- Handouts from the CML Workshop, Financing Public Improvements
- Fiscal policy has been a subject of special research by CML.. Dr. Phyllis Resnick, CML municipal finance consultant, produced the publication The Future of Financing Colorado's Municipal Governments: A Cautionary Tale in 2008, and, in 2009, Responding to the Economic Downturn: Innovations from Colorado Municipalities. She also provided a presentation, Navigating the Economy: Short- and Long-Term Considerations for Local Government (ppt), at the recent CGFOA conference.
Municipal tax and fiscal election results
After each municipal election, CML updates key information on election results related to tax and fiscal policy:
- Click here for election results on revenue and spending.
- Click here for election results on tax rates.
- Click here for election results on muncipal debt issues.
- Click here for election results on term limits.
Tax and fiscal links