Meeting RECAP: JeffCo Revenue Retention Initiative

On August 3rd, 2024 – APA’s monthly meeting was on the topic of the Jeffco Revenue Retention Initiative on the November Ballot. Watch the full meeting here.

The meeting started with reports from our APA Action Teams: Anti-War, Climate Change, Communications, Health Care, Housing, Political Action, and Social Connections.

The remainder of the meeting was focused on the JeffCo Revenue Retention Initiative that will be on our November Ballot. We heard from Jeffco Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper and Treasurer Jerry DiTullio about the importance of this Jeffco Revenue Retention Initiative and how it will improve public safety and transportation.

Jefferson County is one of few Colorado counties that have not yet voted to allow the county to retain all authorized revenues (AKA “deBruced”). These county revenues are completely separate from the CO state TABOR refund that residents receive and are vital to funding basic county services like public safety and transportation. Even Douglas County, one of the most conservative counties in Colorado (if not the USA), has voted to allow the county to retain all of its authorized revenues.

Commissioner Dahlkemper and Treasurer DiTullio also explained how the proposed JeffCo Revenue Retention Initiative has safeguards to ensure how retained revenue is spent. Please read these FAQs about the ballot language here:

Overview of the ballot language

Jefferson County Commissioners approved on July 8 placing a question on the November ballot that asks voters if Jefferson County shall be authorized to collect, retain, and spend the full revenues from authorized revenue sources beginning in Fiscal Year 2024 without increasing the tax rate or mill levy rate.

The funds would be used for:

1) Transportation and infrastructure, including building and maintaining roads, bridges, potholes, and other county infrastructure.

2) Public safety, including wildfire and flood mitigation, addiction and mental health programs, and crime prevention.

If approved by voters, the county would be authorized in perpetuity to collect full revenues just like most counties. This is not a tax increase.

The measure would also ensure state grants for wildfire, human services, roads, and other county services do not count against the county’s spending cap under state law. The measure also requires regular audits to ensure funds are spent on transportation, infrastructure, and public safety to ensure accountability and transparency. (Read full ballot language here.)

What happens if the measure fails?

If the measure fails, the county is poised to make $20 million in budget cuts next year. That number could change based on whether we can find additional one-time monies, but it is unlikely.

This is not the first time the county has faced budget cuts. To date, Jefferson County has cut $16.1 million in the 2020 budget and $8.7 million in 2021, placing us further behind including a $500 million+ backlog in transportation projects.

Federal funding during and after the COVID pandemic staved off additional budget cuts at the county, but those federal dollars are no longer available.

Will the measure impact my state refund?

The measure does not impact your state refund check. However, it would impact your county refund. The average refund check from the county is $22 annually.

In 2024, the county expects to refund $30.5 million to taxpayers unless the proposed measure is approved by voters. Staff is still calculating what the average refund would be for taxpayers. It’s important to note that most other counties reinvest those dollars above the cap in their counties. For Jeffco, that’s more than $30 million dollars that could be invested in essential county services to help improve residents’ quality of life.

What we learned from our community

The county hired a consulting firm to conduct extensive community outreach and research, which identified the community’s budget priorities, informed community members about budget reductions, and tested different funding mechanisms such as revenue retention or a sales tax increase.

The research revealed the community’s top priorities are infrastructure and transportation (roads, bridges), and public safety (crime prevention, wildfire, mental health). Community members also expressed feelings of economic instability and noted a knowledge gap in understanding the impact of the state law’s cap on revenue on essential county services and future budget cuts.

Support was more favorable at 56% for a proposed revenue retention measure (also known as de-Brucing) than a sales tax increase with only 51% support.