From The Pueblo Chieftain (Patrick Malone):
The Bell Policy Center quantified the impact to Colorado communities if Proposition 101 passes in November, cutting property taxes and vehicle and telecommunication fees.
When fully implemented, Proposition 101 would eliminate $1.7 billion a year in state revenue for road maintenance, emergency medical services, colleges and services to low-income and disabled citizens. Local governments would be deprived of funds for schools, road and bridge maintenance and libraries, it said…
Together with Amendments 60 and 61, Proposition 101 would place stringent limits on governments’ collection of taxes and ability to borrow and spend. Bell’s analysis of the impact showed that $3.84 million a year that goes to Pueblo County’s budget evenutally would shrink to $65,816, and the city of Pueblo’s funding would be cut from $1.06 million to $18,143. Funding to libraries in Pueblo County would dip from $652,513 today to $11,195. The local contribution to Pueblo City Schools would fall from the current $161 per student to $2.76 per student in 15 years or so. At School District 70, the contribution from local fees and property taxes would dip from today’s $240 per student to $4.11. School districts in surrounding counties would see per-pupil annual revenue streams strangled similarly: Canon City from $304 to $6.08, Florence from $422 to $8.44, Cotopaxi from $764 to $15.27; East Otero $298 to $6.94; Rocky Ford from $203 to $4.73, Manzanola from $127 to $2.96; Fowler from $277 to $6.45; Cheraw from $125 to $2.91; Swink from $315 to $7.34; Trinidad from $224 to $3; Primero from $1,650 to $21; Hoehne from $532 to $7; Aguilar from $555 to $7; Branson from $57 to $1 and Kim from $623 to $8.
Pueblo County’s two school districts currently receive $4.73 million annually from the fees that the proposition would impact. That amound would be cut to $81,063. The $1 million that Canon City School District receives now from local property taxes and fees would shrink to $20,709. And Florence School District’s $591,924 would shrivel to $11,834; Cotopaxi’s $164,423 would wane to $3,287. Funding for Las Animas County’s general fund would fall from $727,999 to $9,240. That county’s ambulance district funding would fall from $186,136 to $2,363, and its fire district’s current $163,386 would plummet to $2,074.
More 2010 Colorado elections coverage here.