Ballot Issue 302: What to know about the Natural Areas Tax Extension

By Cole Walters
The Ramspondents

In the upcoming election, Fort Collins residents will have the opportunity to vote on 302 Citizen Initiated Ballot Issue - Natural Areas Tax Extension.

This ballot measure is an extension of Citizen-Initiated Ordinance No. 1 from 2002. The initial measure was created and approved by Fort Collins voters with the intention of placing a 0.25% (quarter-cent) sales and use tax extension that is dedicated to conserving open spaces, wildlife habitats, and natural areas in Fort Collins. This tax is set to expire in 2030, so citizens once again took the initiative to extend this tax permanently with some minor changes to help preserve Fort Collins’ nature.

Citizen campaign chair Linda Stanley is leading this campaign in continuation of her efforts to pass the original tax extension in 2002.

“In 2002, I was the leader of the campaign and basically wrote the ballot language,” Stanley said. “Changes needed to be made in the ballot language to make sure that it works for (the Natural Area staff) and for citizens.”

Along with removing the expiration of the tax, two main clarifications are being made that will begin in 2061. 

In the ballot language, the first change is in the definition of “land conservation activity” in terms of the amount of tax revenue that must be used to further include spending that supports the health of protected lands in the area.

“Land conservation activities are the purchase of land, but it’s also other things like restoration and all of the other activities that go with that,” Stanley said. 

The second change in language is of general wording, intended to eliminate confusion and better reflect the Natural Areas program.

This ballot measure also includes changes in allocated revenue percentages for usage and operations in the Natural Areas program. The tax allocation for “land conservation activities” will be reduced from 80% to 70%, and the allocation for maintenance and operations will be increased from 20% to 30%.

“More can be spent on operations and maintenance because by that time there will be more of a need for it,” Stanley said. “We will still need to have a lot that gets spent on the ecological health of the land.”

Overall, other than a few minor corrections and changes to the existing tax, this ballot issue does not propose much change to the current state of revenue allocation to Fort Collins' natural areas. A “Yes” vote on this measure indicates that one approves of extending the Natural Area tax without expiration and with minor amending of the current allocation of revenue.

Cole Walters is a junior at Colorado State University majoring in Communication Studies and minoring in Science Communication. He has a diverse background in journalism and communication, including social media, written journalism and photojournalism.

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