DENVER — Over the past few months, Denver officials have been gathering public input to shape a sweeping $800 million bond proposal aimed at improving public infrastructure across the city.
With the Vibrant Denver bond measure expected to appear on the November ballot, Denver7 reached out to city officials to see where they are in their proposal process.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced the Vibrant Denver bond proposal in February.
“The Vibrant Denver bond package allows us to come together to decide our priorities for our neighborhoods and families,” Johnston said at the time. “This bond will help us build the Denver of the future without raising taxes while also ensuring the protection and preservation of critical infrastructure already in place. It also will allow us to control our own destiny by creating a local funding source for needed local projects.”
Since February, Denverites have submitted thousands of ideas for ways to enhance their neighborhoods, from park upgrades and road repairs to new community centers.
“These things could be rec centers, libraries, parks, bridges, or road repairs,” said Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office.
The city has since narrowed those thousands of ideas down to a few hundred. Among the proposed projects are improvements to rec centers and roadways, and the creation of a Native American cultural center.
“The idea is that we do this over the next six years,” Ewing explained. “That we get these projects done, that we get them launched and going in the next six years.”
This week, an executive committee of community leaders appointed by Johnston began the next phase: refining the list further. Projects are currently categorized into three tiers based on feasibility, though Ewing emphasized that those rankings are not set in stone.
“They're going to take a look at that tiered list, and they're going to decide what actually is tier one, what is feasible, what makes sense under that $800 million funding package,” Ewing said. “Something that is a tier one today could end up not making the cut.”
- View the project list below
The final list of proposed projects is expected to be submitted to the Denver City Council and the mayor later this summer. If approved, the Vibrant Denver bond package will appear on the November ballot.
General obligation bonds are a common way for local and state governments to fund public improvement projects. The bonds are repaid using property tax revenue.
Some have criticized bond programs because they require the government to take on more debt, which future generations will be obligated to pay. A group known as Citizens for NO New Debt has criticized the Vibrant Denver bond proposal because of the debt obligation.
Denver voters have been receptive to previous bond measures. In 2017, voters approved Elevate Denver, a 10-year, $937 million bond program. In 2021, voters approved RISE Denver, a five-year, $260 million bond program.
For more information about the Vibrant Denver bond program, click here.
