Denver’s proposed sales tax for parks gains support

A proposed Denver ballot measure that would create a dedicated sales tax to acquire and maintain parks has attracted nine City Council members as co-sponsors.

That strong-majority support on the 13-member council was revealed Tuesday afternoon as a committee unanimously advanced the measure to the full council. A final vote, along with an hour-long public hearing, is possible as soon as July 9.

Councilman Jolon Clark proposed the tax question for referral to the Nov. 6 ballot. It would ask voters whether to increase the city’s sales tax by 0.25 percent, or 2.5 cents per $10 purchase — a hike that would raise an estimated $46 million a year to expand the city’s system of parks, trails and open spaces. The money also could be used to address Denver Parks and Recreation’s $127 million deferred maintenance backlog.

In a presentation to the committee, leaders from The Trust for Public Land, a parks advocacy group, estimated Denver’s funding gap for replacements and maintenance at $39 million a year.

“There’s definitely a need for this,” said Councilwoman Kendra Black, who has signed on as a sponsor.

Besides Black and Clark, the other sponsors are Paul Kashmann, Mary Beth Susman, Wayne New, Stacie Gilmore, Rafael Espinoza, Paul López and Robin Kniech, according to a listing in the presentation.

The proposal is facing some questions, including about its size and whether the city parks funding gap is a pressing city need. Mayor Michael Hancock’s administration has not yet weighed in on the measure, which would increase the effective sales tax rate to 7.9 percent on regular purchases.

“Is this the most important thing we want to go after right now for a sales tax?” council President Albus Brooks asked, though he added that Clark’s case for parks was compelling.

Brooks also noted that the measure could compete with several other proposed state and local tax measures that are being circulated for the November ballot. Those include a statewide sales tax increase to pay for transportation projects and Denver sales tax measures that would raise money for mental health and substance abuse treatment, for college scholarships and for healthy food programs.

Clark points out that all other metro-area counties already have dedicated sales taxes for parks. A selling point for Denver voters may be that most of the proposed tax’s burden would fall on visitors, residents of other counties and businesses.