La Plata County’s leadership is asking voters to approve a funding source to sustain operations through 2026 and beyond. If passed, 1A would offset reduced natural gas revenues and state-mandated cuts to the residential assessment rate – intended to temper rising property taxes – which have both lowered county revenue and will continue to do so without action.
The county also faces rising expenses across the board. Recruiting and retaining qualified personnel requires competitive pay and benefits, while maintaining modern vehicles, technology, and infrastructure – essential to meet mandated service levels – adds further financial pressure. Without new revenue, the county cannot keep pace with rising costs or continue serving residents effectively.
A “yes” vote would stabilize budgets for all county departments, including emergency management, road and bridge, law enforcement, public works, public health, human services and other core services.
Rather than a property mill levy that would burden property owners alone, 1A proposes a 1% increase to the current 2% county sales tax, so everyone contributes. Roughly one-third of the tax would be paid by visitors, and locals’ share would average $23 per month.
Key everyday essentials will not be taxed: groceries (including SNAP/WIC purchases), prescription and health supplies for people and animals, insulin and injection supplies, durable medical equipment, feminine hygiene products, diapers, basic utilities, and farm or ranch necessities such as feed, seed, livestock, equipment, repair parts, fertilizers, pesticides, and other agricultural supplies.
The ballot language estimates first-year revenue at $18 million; the county’s 2025 budget is about $100 million. La Plata County currently collects 56% of a 1-cent tax from 1975 and 71% from another passed in 1982. The new cent would not be shared with Ignacio or Bayfield, or with joint Durango projects such as the airport, library, or Humane Society. Measure 1A also allows the county to retain revenue above growth and inflation limits, if realized.
The last sales tax increases were 50 and 43 years ago. The county still operates on 1980s sales tax and 1990s property tax levels. Strong natural gas revenues in those decades reduced the need for increases and good decision-makers at the time built a capital fund to buy rather than lease buildings. The mill levy – 8.500 since the 1980s – remains Colorado’s fifth-lowest, below Montezuma (14.3) and Archuleta (18.2).
Property tax revenue has risen with property values, but state-level cuts to the residential assessment rate mean the county sees only a small portion of that growth. Combined with declining natural gas revenue, reduced state and federal funding, and rising inflation, these factors are projected to create a deficit of up to $14 million in 2026.
Natural gas fields are finite, and drilling has shifted to Mesa County, the Bakken, upstate New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. With prices at about $2.50 per million BTUs – well below past peaks – revenues remain marginal. Some argue land-use restrictions play a role, but even with reforms, energy development cannot realistically replace the $18 million a year the county needs to fund public health, welfare, and safety services.
Without 1A, cuts would affect every department. Commissioners stress that limiting reductions to a single department is unrealistic because county services are interrelated. For example, responding to a domestic violence call can require a trained officer, a modern vehicle, maintained or plowed roads, legal support, jail staffing, addiction treatment and temporary care for children. And, much of what the county does is mandated.
Building on operational expense cuts initiated in 2023, the county in 2025 has also removed vacant positions, instituted a hiring freeze, reduced vehicle purchases, reallocated and cut Public Service grants, and deferred millions in maintenance.
The county makes a strong case for a 1-cent sales tax increase. La Plata County delivers across a wide range of mandated services and citizen needs, and the Herald’s editorial board believes it should continue. Vote “yes” on 1A.
