Information

On the issues

Tax and fiscal policy

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.

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 below.

Tax and fiscal updates

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.

CML member benefits

State of Our Cities & Towns