For the record, if Greeley city officials did eventually decide they wanted to create and offer their own internet service, it would almost certainly require additional funds from the voters, explained Brian Sullivan, Greeley's GIS manager.
However, the Greeley internet item on the November ballot — Question 2L — doesn't come with a price tag, it only gives the city permission to offer their own internet service if they want to. It's just the first step and gives city officials the chance to investigate the option — it doesn't obligate them to anything.
As for what security measure a city-owned internet service might have, officials won't know that until something gets loosely designed, he said. And that won't happen unless voters allow city officials to start looking into possibilities.
A little more than 20 people attended the forum, and those were a couple of the small selection of questions asked. Most of the other questions focused on clarifying ballot language, explaining terms or describing the education funding system.
In addition to the internet question, and a few items cleaning up the city's charter language, Greeley officials are asking voters if they can keep the extra money raised by a tax designed to fund road repairs — and still use the extra money solely for road work — or if voters want about $22 refunded to each household.
Ballot Question 2K in Greeley asks voters to let the city keep the sales tax above projections made in 2015, when voters approved a 0.65 percent sales tax increase to pay for road improvements. The tax generated about $1 million more than city officials projected, and the city must now ask voters to keep the extra money because of the Taxpayers Bill of Rights, an amendment to the Colorado Constitution. Last year, the tax generated about $10.4 million, but the city originally projected $9.4 million.
City officials aren't the only ones with local ballot items.
Greeley-Evans School District 6 officials will ask voters to approve a $14-million-a-year property tax hike — called a mill levy override on the ballot. It's almost identical to a proposal that failed last year to fund a number of district priorities; improving security and transportation; supporting academic and vocational programs; purchasing new technology and instructional materials; and paying staff.
A property tax hike like this allows a school district to collect additional property taxes that go directly to the local school district. It's the only way a school district can collect additional operating money.
District 6 is the largest school district in the state without a mill levy override, and it's the only Weld school district without one.
This attempt takes place in the shadow of last year's failed $12 million-per-year mill levy override ballot question. Voters rejected the district's proposed hike last year 51.4 percent to 48.6 percent.
©2017 the Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colo.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
