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Colorado Voters Approve Two Child-Care Sales Taxes as First Multi-County District Takes Shape

Voters opted for dedicated child-care funding that exempts essentials from the tax base.

Overview

  • Voters in Garfield and Pitkin counties and part of Eagle County passed a 0.25% sales tax to form the Confluence Early Childhood Development Special Service District, the first of its kind under a 2019 state law.
  • Larimer County approved a separate 0.25% sales tax projected to raise about $28.7 million to $29 million annually for tuition help, workforce pay supports, and facility improvements.
  • The Confluence tax is expected to generate roughly $10 million to $12 million per year for sliding-scale family subsidies, wage boosts for providers, and grants to expand child-care slots.
  • Both sales taxes exclude purchases of food, gas, diapers, and prescription drugs, according to ballot language reported by local outlets.
  • Lodging-tax measures produced mixed outcomes statewide, with approvals in Gilpin, Hinsdale, and Ouray counties, defeats in Chaffee, Custer, and Lincoln, and a narrow lead still subject to change in Eagle County.