Lakewood, Colorado Development News

Lakewood Council Explores Sales Tax Initiative Based on Community Survey Results

The Lakewood City Council and Budget and Audit Board discussed the results of a community survey regarding a potential November ballot measure for a 0.5% sales tax increase. The survey indicated that 48% would vote yes and 45% would vote no initially, with support increasing to 52% yes and 40% no after voters received more information about the purposes of the tax. Public safety, crime prevention, and infrastructure improvements were identified as strong motivators for supporting the measure, while affordable housing and homelessness initiatives were polarizing. The council indicated a desire to move forward with exploring a sales tax initiative, focusing on public safety and infrastructure, with a potential to revisit the affordable housing component separately. Key concerns included tax fatigue, skepticism about city fund management, and the potential for competition with other tax initiatives, such as the one proposed by West Metro Fire.