DENVER — The Denver City Council will consider a proposal Monday to raise the sales tax by .25 percent for park maintenance and upkeep.
The proposal was strongly supported during a committee hearing in June and is now heading to the full city council for a vote. Mayor Michael Hancock will then have the final say on whether the initiative should make it onto the November ballot.
Voters will then decide whether the tax hike should go into effect or not.
The proposal would raise the sales tax in the city by 2.5 cents for every $10 someone spends in the city. That would generate about $46 million in additional revenue for parks and trails.
The council is hoping this will help cut down on the $127 million backlog on maintenance projects that are needed at parks across the city.
Councilman Jolon Clark came up with the proposal in an effort to help cut down on that backlog.
However, the city council is also considering several other proposals for tax increases for things like substance abuse and mental health treatment, healthy food programs and college scholarships among other things. The state is also considering a sales tax hike for transportation infrastructure.
That’s why some city council members are questioning whether this is the right time to ask for a tax hike for parks.
The Denver City Council will discuss the proposal during its Monday meeting at 3:30 p.m.