Tuesday's election in Colorado saw voters across the state weigh in on everything from tax increases to school board and mayoral races.
In El Paso County, unofficial results show voters embracing a slate of tax increases and spending measures, including a $14.5-million TABOR retention for I-25 and other infrastructure needs, a new fee in Colorado Springs to pay for stormwater projects, and a $42-million tax increase for District 11, Colorado Springs’ largest school district.
In Pueblo County, voters appear to have rejected proposed tax increases to pay for a new county detention center and city crime prevention programs. Meanwhile, residents resoundingly approved of raising taxes to fund Pueblo's police department. As of Wednesday afternoon, it also looked as though voters had moved to adopt a "strong mayor" form of government in the city.
In Manitou Springs, retired lawyer Ken Jaray unseated incumbent mayor Nicole Nicoletta, and voters said 'no' to a tax increase to fund a new police and fire training facility and emergency operations center.
We've collected results for some of the highest-profile ballot questions and races below. Please note that these are unofficial tallies from the Pueblo and El Paso County Elections departments, and numbers are subject to change.
A spokesperson for the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's office said most of the votes had been counted as of 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, but the office is still working to confirm 1,351 ballots with missing information, signatures, or other irregularities. Official results will likely not be released for a week or more.
Pueblo County said in a tweet that the results posted below will be the final numbers until November 15.
Additional El Paso County results are available here, Pueblo County here.
RESULTS - LAST UPDATED - 2:47 p.m., 11/08/17
EL PASO COUNTY - 153,597 ballots counted as of 12:29 a.m., 11/08/17
ISSUES AND QUESTIONS
El Paso County - 1A: TABOR retention to the tune of $14,548,000 to be spent on infrastructure, including I-25 corridor, disaster recovery projects, and parks, trails and open space projects.
- YES - 67.20%
- NO - 32.80%
City of Colorado Springs - 2A: Creates a new stormwater fee -- $5/month for residential properties and $30/month per acre (up to 5 acres) for non-residential properties -- to fund stormwater projects in Colorado Springs.
- YES - 53.69%
- NO - 46.31%
City of Manitou Springs - 2B: Increases taxes up to $400,000 per year to fund a new municipal training and emergency operations center for the police and fire departments.
- YES - 24.16%
- NO - 75.84%
City of Manitou Springs - 2C: Gives the City of Manitou Springs legal authority to provide high-speed internet, telecommunications, and cable television services to residents.
- YES - 84.31%
- NO - 15.69%
MUNICIPAL RACES
City of Manitou Springs - Mayor: Incumbent Nicole Nicoletta running against retired lawyer and former city attorney Ken Jaray.
- NICOLE NICOLETTA - 35.38%
- KEN JARAY - 64.62%
OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION ISSUES
Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority - 5B: Adds I-25 roadway improvements to the list of projects toward which PPRTA tax funds can go.
- YES - 66.10%
- NO - 33.90%
SCHOOLS
Colorado Springs School District 11 - 3E: Raises taxes by $42,000,000 annually to fund staff and teacher salaries, building maintenance and renovations, additional school nurses, psychologists, and social workers, and other needs.
- YES - 57.31%
- NO - 42.69%
PUEBLO COUNTY - 38,683 ballots counted as of 1:47 p.m., 11/08/17
ISSUES AND QUESTIONS
Pueblo County - 1A: Raises sales and use tax by .45% ($10,589,460 annually) to fund a new county detention center.
- YES - 17,557
- NO - 20,334
City of Pueblo - 2A: Changes the city government structure from a Council-Manager form to a Mayor-Council (AKA "strong mayor") form.
- YES - 12,185
- NO - 11,385
City of Pueblo - 2B: Increases sales and use tax by .20% for five years to fund police personnel and operating needs.
- YES - 14,911
- NO - 8,292
City of Pueblo - Issue 300: Creates a ten year, .25% sales and use tax to fund "community-based programs to reduce overall violence and crime in Pueblo."
- YES - 11,680
- NO - 12,169
CITY OF PUEBLO - MUNICIPAL RACES
City Council Member - At Large: 4-year term expiring December 31, 2021. (Two winners)
- DENNIS FLORES - 10,470
- CHARLOTTE PEREZ - 3,585
- JOSEPH A. LATINO - 5,215
- JASON MUNOZ - 4,439
- MARK ALIFF - 6,665
- IESHIA M. JIRON - 3,351
- KEVIN COVER - 6,394
City Council Member - District 1: 4-year term expiring December 31, 2021. (One winner)
- MICHAEL STAPLETON - 1,465
- BOB SCHILLING - 2,297
- TOMMY FARRELL - 1,825
City Council Member - District 3: 4-year term expiring December 31, 2021. (One Winner)
- ED BROWN - 5,017
- JOSHUA BRUNS - 2,383
