Press Release

Media contacts:

Kevin Bommer, executive director, kbommer@cml.org, (303) 562-0442
Maeve McHugh, municipal research analyst, mmchugh@cml.org 

On Nov. 3, voters in at least 70 cities and towns across Colorado will consider local candidates and/or ballot measures in municipal elections. Of the elections scheduled, 43 are special. CML tracked 104 municipal ballot issues and questions across the state. At least six municipalities canceled their regular elections.  

A regular municipal election is the date on which members of the governing body are elected, as scheduled by either state statute (statutory towns and cities) or charter (home rule municipalities). Ballot questions may also be voted on at the regular municipal election. Special elections are held on any date that is not the date of the regular municipal election. Many municipalities hold special elections that are coordinated with their county.  . 

Founded in 1923, CML is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization representing and serving the interests of Colorado cities and towns. CML provides comprehensive research and analysis of municipal issues and trends, including an assessment of municipal elections. Ballot measures being considered by voters in fall 2026 include: 

 Tax issues  

 Sales and use tax increases:   

• Basalt – 0.5%, not to exceed 20 years, for public services facilities  

• Cedaredge –1% for roads, public recreation, public safety, and economic development 

• Centennial – 1% for public works related services 

• Edgewater – 0.5% for accessibility and mobility improvements 

• Frederick – 1% for transportation infrastructure and maintenance  

• Greeley – 0.6% through 2067 at the latest for a civic campus, special projects, and other city facilities and outdoor spaces  

• Green Mountain Falls – 0.5% through 2030 for capital improvement projects on town-owned property 

• Hot Sulphur Springs – new 4% use tax on construction and building materials for general purposes 

• Lakewood – 0.5% for public safety and traffic safety improvements 

• Mancos – 0.4% for street improvements and broadband 

• Monument – increase use tax on construction materials and equipment by 0.6% to match town sales tax of 3.5% 

• Oak Creek – 2% for the general fund  

• Orchard City – 0.75% for the general fund to support operational and service costs of the town 

• Palisade – 1% through 2034 for public improvements and emergency services 

• Pueblo – two questions, one to increase sales tax by 0.25% for the “department of fire and technology related to public safety sales and use tax fund” and another sales tax increase of 0.167% through 2031 to establish a special fund for the Pueblo Zoo 

• Rocky Ford – 1.5% through 2029 for public safety 

• Sheridan – 0.5% for public safety 

• Sterling – 1% through 2031 for street improvements and maintenance 

• Sugar City – new 2% sales and use tax for general purposes 

• Walsenburg – 0.5% for law enforcement 

• Wellington – 0.5% for law enforcement and public safety 

• Wheat Ridge – 1% for community investments 

• Woodland Park – 0.25% to service Woodland Park School District debt 

• Wray – 0.75% for street improvements  

 Sales and use tax extensions: 

• Alamosa – extend 0.5% sales tax for streets trust fund through 2039 

• Louisville – extend 0.125% sales tax for historic preservation through 2038 

 Lodging, short-term rental, and vacancy taxes: 

• Boulder – a vacancy tax of $4,000, adjusted annually based on CPI, not to exceed $7,000, on homes occupied for less than 184 days per year to support city services 

• Broomfield – increase lodging tax by 4.4% for a total of rate of 6% for housing authority 

• Cortez – 4% lodging tax increase to total rate of 6% for tourism and economic development 

• Crested Butte – excise tax on non-primary residences determined by square footage of the parcel and a flat vacant land tax 

• Erie – new lodging tax of 3.5% for general purposes 

• Gypsum – new 4% lodging tax for public services and special events 

• Holyoke – extend existing 2.5% lodging tax to 2032 

• Morrison – two questions, one proposing to eliminate an existing lodging tax exemption and another to increase the lodging tax by 2% for a total tax rate of 8% 

• Mt. Crested Butte – increase short-term rental tax by 5% for total tax rate of 9.9% to fund critical community housing 

• Northglenn – increase lodging tax by 3% for total tax rate of 8% for general use 

• Rifle – increase lodging tax by 3% for total rate of 5.5% 

Property tax mill levy issues: 

• Brighton – mill levy increase for South Brighton General Improvement District  

• Glenwood Springs – mill levy increase through 2046 for fire protection and emergency medical services  

• Kersey – extend existing mill levy through 2037 

• Lafayette – extend existing property tax through 2046 for capital improvements, operations, and maintenance of Lamont Does Park 

 Combined questions concerning sales taxes, mill levies, and debt: 

• Aurora - three questions, each for a revenue bond serviced by a proposed sales tax through 2057: 

• A revenue bond of $12,640,000 repaid by a 0.129% sales tax for operation of and repairs, maintenance, and improvements to community facilities 

• A revenue bond of $6,270,000 repaid by a 0.064% sales tax for public safety  

• A revenue bond of $12,940,000 repaid by a 0.132% sales tax for transportation 

• Boulder - $400,000,000 in general obligation bonds for recreation, safety, and other capital projects and authorizes levying property tax without limitation as to the rate to satisfy the debt 

• Erie – revenue bond of $32,500,000 for community center expansion repaid by proposed 0.501% sales tax  

• Grand Junction – general obligation bond of $12,000,000 repaid by proposed 0.07% sales tax increase and general revenue to fund municipal pool; proposed sales tax will reduce to 0.03% upon repayment of debt to fund pool operations and maintenance 

• Longmont – sales tax increase of 0.33% and mill levy increase to fund public safety 

Marijuana issues: 

• De Beque – occupational tax of up to $5 per pound of marijuana products sold 

• Paonia – remove occupational tax and adopt 5% sales tax on retail and medical marijuana 

 Other tax and fee issues: 

• Cañon City – allow existing sales tax for construction of community pool to also be used for pool operations and maintenance and authorizing a multi-year fiscal agreement with a recreation district 

• Evans – expand permitted use of existing food for home consumption sales tax to include community benefit purposes 

• Haxtun – expand allowed use for existing sales tax to include street maintenance 

• Idaho Springs – occupation tax of $3 per customer per experience on outdoor recreation experiences with the ability to adjust the rate up to $5 per customer per experience 

• Manitou Springs – increase excise tax on ticket sales and admissions fees by 4.03% for a total rate of 9.03% 

Revenue retention and debt 

• Aspen - $100,000,000 for water treatment facility repaid by water enterprise 

• Berthoud – $28,000,000 in revenue bonds for parks and recreation repaid by existing sales and use tax revenue 

• Eaton - $5,000,000 revenue bond for street improvements and transportation projects paid by any legally available town revenue 

• Frederick – subject to approval of separately proposed sales tax increase, $26,000,000 general obligation bonds for street and transportation projects 

• Winter Park - $120,000,000 in revenue bonds for regional transportation authority 

 Municipal charter and code amendments and other questions 

Election changes 

• Akron – allowing the statutory town to move election date to November of even-numbered years 

• Aurora – move election from November of odd-numbered years to November of even-numbered years  

• Lake City – allowing the statutory town to move election to November of even-numbered years 

• Lakewood – extending the timeframe for holding regular or special elections considering initiative ordinances and referenda  

• Longmont – two questions regarding ranked choice voting, one to adopt ranked choice voting for mayoral and council elections, and a second to align election cycles if ranked choice voting is approved 

• Louisville – increase threshold for initiative and referendum petitions to 5% of registered electors  

• Montrose – move election from April to November of even-numbered years 

Council makeup, term limits, and rules for taking office 

• Broomfield – change mayoral term limits from three consecutive two-year terms to two consecutive four-year terms 

• Lake City – allowing the statutory town to reduce the number of trustees from six to four 

• Lakewood – clarifies when newly elected mayor and councilmember terms begin 

• Louisville – change timing for taking office from first council meeting after the election, to first meeting after the certification of election results 

• Montrose – establishing lifetime term limits for councilmembers 

• Morrison – remove term limits for board members 

• Mountain View – change form of government to council-manager 

• Thornton – require councilmember or mayor's seat be deemed vacant upon a formal declaration of candidacy for any other office 

Land use 

• Castle Pines – two charter amendments, one proposing that the annexation of properties greater than 20 acres must be voter-approved, and the second stipulating any annexations of property greater than 20 acres within 180 days of the passage of this question must be referred to the voters 

• Cherry Hills Village – charter amendment affirming the city’s constitutional home rule authority to make all land use decisions, regardless of state mandates  

• Longmont – charter amendment prohibiting the sale or conveyance of open space without voter approval  

• Salida – a citizen-initiated referendum on the zoning of newly-annexed land 

• Walsenburg – amend city code to define permitted uses under a certain zone category 

Home rule charter adoption 

• Cripple Creek – adopt proposed home rule charter 

 General charter and code amendments 

• Boulder – two proposed charter amendments, one to guarantee collective bargaining rights for full-time fire department employees, the second to modify the City’s debt limitation to no more than 3% of the value of taxable property 

• Denver – three charter amendments include clarifying the Auditor's Office authority to continue to enforce wage laws, worker protection laws, and other workplace rights laws;  adjusting the budget and appropriation process, allowing for a two-year budget planning and adoption process as well as modernizing or repealing certain charter sections; and, modernizing the Civil Service Commission and Department of Safety by updating language, allowing City Council to add duties via code, and provide for an extension of probation when required for approved leave 

• Lakewood – repeal and replace charter language regarding property tax increases to require voter approval 

• Louisville – four general charter amendments include expanding the topics for executive sessions, allowing public meetings to be held in non-public facilities, requiring that the text of citizen initiatives be reviewed by City staff and available for comment at a public meeting, and updating charter language 

• Montrose – two amendments allowing city council to approve or disapprove the city manager’s appointment or discharge of the police chief and the city clerk 

• Salida – allowing publication of ordinances by title only 

Miscellaneous 

Animal welfare 

• Denver – initiated ordinance to prohibit force-feeding birds and the sale of products derived from force-feeding birds 

Utilities and franchise agreements 

• Broomfield – approval of a twenty-year franchise contract with Xcel Energy beginning 2028 

• Denver – approval of a twenty-year franchise contract with Xcel Energy beginning 2027 

• Glendale – approval of a twenty-year franchise agreement with Xcel Energy beginning 2028 

Incorporation of new municipality 

• Niwot – considering incorporation as a municipality, formation of a home rule charter commission, and financial questions including authorization of debt, revenue retention, and establishment of a sales and use tax, property tax, and marijuana sales tax 

Not all ballots were available at the time of publication. Any ballot questions not included in this press release will be included in the post-election summary. Colorado Municipal League thanks the municipal clerks who assisted CML staff in compiling this election information.