El Paso County voters to decide whether to extend public safety tax until 2037
Issue 1A would keep the existing 0.23% rate and dedicate revenue to law enforcement, criminal justice and emergency response.
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El Paso County voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to extend the county’s existing 0.23% Public Safety Sales and Use Tax until Jan. 1, 2037, without raising the rate. County commissioners referred the measure, Issue 1A, to the ballot in August.
The county’s election booklet describes the question as extending the tax “WITHOUT RAISING ADDITIONAL TAXES.” The referral resolution sets Jan. 1, 2029, as the extension’s effective date. Without voter approval, the tax is scheduled to expire in 2029.
The measure dedicates revenue to law enforcement, including staffing and investigations; criminal justice, including detention and jail operations; and emergency response, including wildland-fire staffing and equipment. The resolution does not set percentages or dollar amounts for dividing revenue among those areas. It also requires the Sheriff’s Office to report tax revenue and spending annually at a public hearing.
County commissioners approved a purchase of 10 patrol vehicles, with a county agenda item listing the tax as the funding source and a cost of up to $516,130.