COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Colorado Springs City council unanimously voted to take a revised version of the TOPS tax question back to the voters for the April 2023 City of Colorado Springs Election.
TOPS is the Trails Open Space and Parks sales tax that goes toward purchasing and preserving public land.
Voters rejected an extension request back in 2021 that asked for an increase to the tax,
The new version goes back to the original amount of .01% sales tax or one cent for every ten dollars.
The latest version specifies that 75% of TOPS money must go toward acquiring open space and park property.
If passed by voters the TOPS tax extension goes through December of 2045
Here is the question that voters will see on the April ballot
WITHOUT IMPOSING ANY NEW TAX OR INCREASING THE RATE OF ANY EXISTING TAX, SHALL THE EXISTING 0.1% (ONE TENTH OF A CENT) CITY SALES AND USE TAX FOR TRAILS, OPEN SPACE AND PARKS (TOPS) BE EXTENDED FROM ITS CURRENT EXPIRATION OF DECEMBER 31, 2025 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2045, WITH THE SAME USES FOR OPEN SPACE ACQUISITION AND STEWARDSHIP, AND TRAILS AND PARKS ACQUISITION AND MAINTENANCE, THE ABOVE CONSTITUTING NO CHANGES TO THE PROGRAM EXCEPT ALLOWING FUNDS DEDICATED TO MAINTENANCE OF TRAILS AND OPEN SPACES TO BE USED REGARDLESS OF HOW THE TRAIL OR OPEN SPACE WAS ACQUIRED, AND IN THE OPEN SPACE CATEGORY A MINIMUM OF SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT (75%) OF FUNDS BE SPENT ON ACQUISITION OF OPEN SPACE, AS A CONTINUATION OF A VOTER APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE AND EXCEPTION TO ANY CONSTITUTIONAL, STATUTORY, AND CHARTER REVENUE AND SPENDING LIMITATIONS THAT MAY OTHERWISE APPLY?
____ YES
____ NO
____
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