Do you think Glenwood Springs should have more money for street and infrastructure repairs, and is a sales tax the best way to fund that?
We think yes — and that’s why we hope voters will approve ballot measure 2A this fall in Glenwood Springs. Doing so would ensure that Glenwood Springs’ essential needs for streets and utilities have a dedicated and consistent funding stream through 2044.
Ballot Measure 2A would continue the half-cent sales tax for street repairs, approved by voters nearly 20 years ago, and increase it by an additional half-cent. Of this, a quarter-cent would be specifically designated for infrastructure beneath the streets.
This means more money for street repairs and new funding for what’s underneath—water, wastewater, and other utilities. The new infrastructure funding stream would allow the city to take a “twofer” approach, addressing both surface and subsurface repairs simultaneously. This would reduce the need to tear up newly repaired roads for emergency pipework, shorten overall construction times, and maximize the city’s project budgets.
At the same time, the additional quarter-cent for street funding would help keep pace with repair and improvement needs, even as construction costs have risen significantly since the pandemic.
The benefits of 2A would be felt throughout Glenwood Springs. The city’s 20-year plan highlights areas expected for repairs and improvements, including further work on Blake Avenue, the Glenwood Park neighborhood, North Glenwood neighborhood, streets in east Glenwood and Red Mountain.
If the tax is approved, it would increase the sales tax rate in Glenwood Springs to 9.1%. This rate would be higher than in some nearby municipalities, but still lower than in nearby resort towns like Aspen, Vail, and Snowmass Village. We believe the sales tax proposal is the best way for Glenwood Springs residents to ensure that visitors and commuters contribute their fair share to maintaining the city’s streets and infrastructure.
For example, our editorial board includes three members who live outside city limits, but we all spend significant time in Glenwood Springs. It’s our primary shopping hub, and we want to do our part to support infrastructure funding when we shop at local downtown businesses. We believe the 2A proposal is the most effective way to ensure that non-residents contribute as well.
That said, it is entirely possible voters could reject it — as happened with a similar proposal in 2019. If that occurs, we hope efforts will be made to present voters with the option to continue the half-cent tax as it stands before it expires in 2026. We would also encourage city staff and council to search under the proverbial couch cushions for streets and infrastructure funding to achieve as much as possible from the 20-year plan. We understand it’s easier to suggest this than to find actual funding, but we believe in the tenacity and resourcefulness of our community.
Hopefully, that won’t be necessary — 2A is a great opportunity to strengthen streets and infrastructure in the years ahead, and we encourage Glenwood Springs voters to vote yes this fall.
The Post Independent editorial board members are Publisher Peter Baumann and community representatives John Stroud, Mark Fishbein and Amy Connerton.