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November 2, 2021 Election

November 2, 2021 Election

Ballot Question 2E was passed by the voters on November 2, 2021.

The information below about the measure is being kept online for future reference.

On Aug. 17, 2021, the Lone Tree City Council referred ballot question 2E by unanimous vote to the Nov. 2, 2021 ballot that will ask voters if Lone Tree’s sales tax should be increased by 1% to maintain vital city services, dedicated to:

– Repairing, maintaining, and improving City streets and aging infrastructure;
– Maintaining service and response times for public safety; and
– Maintaining and improving parks, trails, and open space. 

Then, on Sept. 8, 2021, the Lone Tree City Council adopted Resolution 21-41, a resolution outlining the reasons the Council supports a Yes vote on ballot question 2E. 

Shall City of Lone Tree taxes be increased not more than $15,563,749 annually beginning January 1, 2022 and by such amounts as are raised annually thereafter for a period of ten years, by an additional temporary sales and use tax of one percent, excluding the sale of food for home consumption and motor vehicles which shall remain exempt from City taxation, to be used to maintain vital City services for local residents including:

– Repairing, maintaining, and improving City streets and aging infrastructure;

– Maintaining service and response times for public safety; and

– Maintaining and improving parks, trails, and open space

with all spending of such revenues reported in the City’s annual independent audit published on the City’s website and reviewed by a citizen committee, and shall the resulting revenue and investment earnings thereon be allowed to be collected, retained and spent by the City notwithstanding the limits of Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution or any other law?

After engaging with and gathering feedback from residents, community organizations, businesses, HOAs, and others through the Mapping Our Future public engagement efforts, the City Council referred ballot question 2E to the November 2, 2021 ballot proposing to voters a 1% sales tax increase to fund vital city services, including public safety, infrastructure, and parks and open space.

Keep scrolling to learn more about the upcoming election and the City’s financial projections. If you’d like to jump between sections, use the navigation buttons to jump to different parts of the page.

Note that the graphs might look a little squished on mobile devices- rotating your device or using a device with a larger screen will help if you need a closer look. 

Jan. - Aug. 2021

The City Council engaged the community through the Mapping our Future effort.

Aug. 17

The City Council referred a question to the ballot that will ask voters if Lone Tree's sales tax should be increased by 1% for vital city services.

Oct. 8 - Oct. 11

Ballots will be mailed to registered voters in a coordinated election with Douglas County.

Nov. 2

Election day - ballots must be received back by mail or via drop box by this date.

Election Ready Checklist for the 2021 Coordinated Election

Register to vote – Visit GoVoteColorado.gov and click on “Register to Vote”.

Check your voter registration – Visit GoVoteColorado.gov and click on “Find My Registration”. If you make an update to your registration, allow two to nine business days for mail ballot delivery. 

Watch for your ballot in the mail – Ballots for the November 2, 2021, Coordinated Election will be mailed beginning on October 8, 2021. If you have not received your ballot by October 19, 2021, please contact the Douglas County Elections Office at 303-660-7444, or visit a Voter Service and Polling Center.

Vote your ballot – Place your voted ballot in your official return envelope. Note: Do not use another household member’s envelope to return your ballot.

Return your voted ballot- Mail your ballot with adequate postage and allow two to nine business days for delivery to our office. Save on postage by using one of our convenient Ballot Drop Boxes located throughout Douglas County from October 8, 2021, through Election Day on November 2, 2021. If you prefer to vote at a Voter Service and Polling Center, you may surrender your mail ballot at the Center of your choice and vote in-person beginning October 25, 2021, through 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 2, 2021.

Lone Tree Drop Box Locations

Ballot Drop Box locations for the November 2, 2021, Coordinated Election will be available 24-hours a day beginning October 8, 2021, through 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 2, 2021. 

Ballot drop box locations in Lone Tree area are available at:

Lone Tree Motor Vehicle, Park Meadows Center, 9350 Heritage Hills Circle, 80124

Lone Tree Municipal Building, 9220 Kimmer Drive, Lone Tree, CO 80124

Locations of additional Ballot Drop Boxes in Douglas County are available here. 

Background Information

After engaging with and gathering feedback from residents, community organizations, businesses, HOAs, and others through the Mapping Our Future public engagement efforts, the City Council referred a question to the November 2, 2021 ballot proposing to voters a 1% sales tax increase to fund vital city services, including public safety, infrastructure, and parks and open space.

This effort included community town halls hosted by Mayor Jackie Millet. A recording of the last town hall can be viewed here.

The core of the community engagement focused on the community’s financial strategy in the near future as the City has faced flattening and waning revenues. This has made it challenging to continue delivering City services at existing services levels. The community engagement effort asked residents if Lone Tree’s 1.5% sales tax rate for operations should be increased in order to maintain service levels into the future, or if the City should cut services in order to balance the budget within projected revenues. 

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Lone Tree's Sales Tax Rate for Operations

Lone Tree’s original 1.5% sales tax rate for operations instituted in 1995 is still the same today.

While this has served the City well for its first 25 years, slowdowns in commercial development and increases in online shopping have resulted in flat and waning revenues for the City – even before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Lone Tree’s municipal sales tax rate is among the lowest on the Front Range.

These figures represent the sales tax for each municipality and do not include other sales taxes paid in each jurisdiction, including State sales tax, County sales tax, or districts like RTD.

There is a .3125% sales tax approved by voters to build recreation projects & the Lone Tree Arts Center.

Local Sales Tax Rate Comparison

No Data Found

Municipality Tax Comparison

Lone Tree taxes fewer areas than our neighboring municipalities. 

Taxing in Lone Tree

Taxing by Municipality:

While you still may pay property taxes and taxes on automotive vehicles, the City of Lone Tree does not receive that revenue. Those taxes are for other entities, like the County, Metro Districts, or the School District. 

Financial Projections

City revenues have flattened.

In recent years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the City’s reliance on its current sales tax rate has led to flattening revenues. Through the Mapping our Future community engagement effort residents were asked if Lone Tree’s 1.5% sales tax rate for operations should be increased in order to maintain service levels into the future, or if the City should cut services in order to balance the budget within projected revenues. 

Lone Tree Sales Tax Revenues

No Data Found

Does the City collect sales tax from online shopping?

The City does collect sales tax from online vendors. However, because sales taxes are based on where purchases are shipped, the City only gets revenue from Lone Tree residents. If someone from another city was going to shop at Park Meadows but then decided to shop online, Lone Tree would not see that revenue. Over 95% of shoppers in Lone Tree come from outside the City.

The City projects there is a cumulative gap of over $100 Million between projected revenues and expenses over the next 15 years.

15 Year City Revenue Projection

No Data Found

Arguments heard in favor of a sales tax increase.

Arguments heard against a sales tax increase.

80% of the City’s budget goes directly to public safety & delivering public improvements.

Capital outlay, public saftey, and public works encompass 80% of the City's budget- reflecting the community's priorities.

No Data Found

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The City does collect sales tax from online vendors. However, because sales taxes are based on where purchases are delivered, the City only gets revenue from Lone Tree residents. If someone from another city was going to shop at Park Meadows but then decided to shop online, Lone Tree would not see that revenue. Over 95% of shoppers in Lone Tree come from outside the City.

The City currently ensures that “growth pays for growth” by requiring developers to build infrastructure for new development. Further, through an agreement with Rampart Range Metro District, the new development in RidgeGate East will be dedicating 8 mills of property tax from Rampart Range Metro District back to the City to provide services to the new neighborhoods.

80% of the City’s budget is dedicated to public safety and capital maintenance and improvements. The projected budget shortfall would not be able to be absorbed by cutting those areas alone. The 2021 annual budget for Link on Demand is $300,000 with $75,000 being funded by a regional partner. If the shuttle service was removed, the City would still have to cut $11.8 million dollars from other areas of the annual budget.  The Arts Center, which Lone Tree voters created, generates much of its own revenue. For the portion of the Arts Center’s budget that comes from the general fund, it would require cutting the equivalent of 15 Arts Centers to make up the gap in revenue.

If Lone Tree were to tax groceries (or food for home consumption) at its current rate of 1.5% , the City would receive approximately $2.2 million per year. A 1% general sales tax increase generates $12.1 million per year – enough funding to fill the $12 million annual gap between projected revenue and expenses over the next 15 years.  The proposed 1% increase does not include taxing groceries. 

In 2021, the City received $1.6 million in American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding. In 2022, the City is expecting to receive another $1.6 million in ARPA funding. All ARPA stimulus money is set to go towards COVID related budget impacts.  In 2020, the City received $1.2 million in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability Act (CARES Act) funding, which went to reimburse costs directly associated with the City’s pandemic response.  All of these revenue streams are one-time revenue that is not an ongoing source for the City. 

The City does not collect a property tax. Any property tax paid by Lone Tree households goes to others, like Douglas County, the Fire District or the School District. Historically, the revenue from sales tax and use tax made up 72% of the City’s operating revenue.

The City began observing flattening and waning revenue in 2015, well before the pandemic. This is likely due to changes in consumer habits, like the move to online shopping. The pandemic exacerbated this trend. Due to impacts of the pandemic, sales and use tax revenue declined in 2020 by $5,810,074 (23%) compared to 2019. Sales tax projections for 2021 were calculated conservatively based on 2020 trends, with the anticipation of a gradual recovery from impacts of COVID-19 throughout the year, but the City will still be ending the year below 2019 and previous year amounts. The City does not expect to regain enough ground to fund City services and provide needed infrastructure maintenance and improvements, even after many years.

When the City annexed land over the years (such as Park Meadows Mall and RidgeGate), agreements were put into place where a portion of the sales taxes generated in those annexed areas are reimbursed back to the property owners, often to pay for public improvements/infrastructure, which represents the difference in the two numbers, the $12 million being the net amount the City will retain to fund vital services and public safety.

The City spends most of its funds in three key areas: (1) Capital Outlay, or infrastructure investments; (2) public works services such as snow removal and trash and recycling services and (3) public safety. These three categories make up 80% of the City’s budget. The remaining 20% includes categories such as general government, arts and culture, and community development. Priorities of spending are a result of community input which drives the City’s strategic plan and is used for informed budget decisions.