These summaries of the proposed ballot measures are not the full text that will appear on the ballot. They are intended as an explanatory guide. To read the complete text of the measures and the statements in favor and against, visit the information booklet available on the Colorado General Assembly’s website.
Ballot issue No. 2A asks Durango residents if the city may keep excess revenues from the lodgers tax. Revenues from the tax exceeded estimates in 2021 and will exceed estimates again this year. If the measure fails, Durango residents can expect a refund of about $218 per utility account. If the measure passes, the city plans to spend the funds in these ways:
- 66% for affordable and workforce housing programs.
- 20% for transportation, parking and transit services, as well as equipment and facilities.
- 14% for arts and cultural events, programs and facilities.
Ballot issue 6A asks voters if the Purgatory Metropolitan District may levy a sales tax of up to 2.5% to raise up to $600,000 in 2023 (and whatever amounts are raised in the following years) to be used on municipal needs such as roads, transportation and safety protection.
Ballot issue 7A asks voters if the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District may maintain the same rate of property tax it has levied since 2013. Voters approved an increase of 5.95 mills (meaning an increased tax rate of $5.95 per $1,000 of assessed value), which is set to expire at the end of 2024. The district is seeking approval to maintain the current tax rate. The district’s 2021 budget can be found on the website for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
Amendment D, if added to the state Constitution, would allow the governor to reassign judges to the newly created 23rd judicial district. The 23rd district has been created out of what was formerly part of the 18th District, and judges reassigned to the 23rd district would be those currently serving in what was or is the 18th District. This amendment requires 55% approval to pass.
Amendment E asks voters if the property tax reduction currently afforded to qualifying seniors and veterans who are disabled should also be extended to the surviving spouse of a U.S. Armed Forces service member who died in the line of duty or veteran whose death resulted from a service-related injury or disease. The current tax reduction afforded to qualifying veterans and seniors exempts 50% of the first $200,000 of a home’s value from taxation. This amendment requires 55% approval to pass.
Amendment F, if added to the state Constitution, would reduce the number of years a nonprofit must exist before it can apply for a bingo-raffle license from five to three. It would also authorize the state Legislature to reexamine the requirement in 2025 and allow bingo-raffle workers to be paid. The amendment requires 55% approval to pass.
Proposition FF would increase state taxable income for individuals who have a federal taxable income of $300,000 or more by limiting state income tax deductions (itemized or standard) to $12,000 for single filers and $16,000 for joint filers. The $100,727,820 raised would be used to establish a “healthy meals for all” program that would provide free meals to all students in public schools. It would also provide grants for some schools to purchase healthier, locally grown products and other food service-related funding.
Proposition GG would require that when proposed changes to state income tax appear on petitions and ballots, they include a table showing how that proposed change would affect tax filers of different income categories.
Proposition 121 would reduce the state’s income tax rate from 4.55% to 4.40%, a reduction of approximately 3.3%.
Proposition 122, if passed, would define some psychedelic plants and fungi as natural medicine, including psilocybin. It would also decriminalize the personal possession, use and growth of natural medicine (the five listed plant-based psychedelics substances) for anyone age 21 and older. Lastly, the measure would create a state program and advisory board to oversee and regulate the establishment of licensed healing centers to administer these substances in a medicinal capacity in a supervised environment.
Proposition 123 asks voters if the state should set aside 0.1% of income tax revenue that is already collected to fund affordable housing projects. The revenue, an estimated $145 million in state budget year 2022-23 and $290 million in state budget year 2023-24, would be used to fund grants, loans, and assistance programs for local governments and nonprofits to make housing more affordable and address homelessness. If passed, the measure would reduce the tax refund that Coloradans receive in years that revenue exceeds certain limits. Based on the number of income tax returns for tax year 2018, Proposition 123 is estimated to decrease the amount returned by $43 per taxpayer in tax year 2023 and $86 per taxpayer in tax year 2024.
Proposition 124 asks voters if the state should increase the number of retail liquor licenses a person may hold (or have a share in). Currently, the holder of a liquor license can hold up to three licenses, and that number will increase to four in 2027. This measure would increase the number of licenses a person may hold according to the following schedule:
- Up to eight licenses by Dec. 31, 2026.
- Up to 13 licenses by Dec. 31, 2031.
- Up to 20 licenses by Dec. 31, 2036.
- An unlimited number of licenses on or after Jan. 1, 2037.
Proposition 125, if passed, would allow grocery stores, convenience stores and other business establishments licensed to sell beer to also sell wine. Licenses that currently allow such establishments to sell beer would be converted in March 2023 to include the sale of wine.
Proposition 126, if passed, would allow grocery stores, bars, restaurants and other establishments licensed to sell liquor to contract with third-party delivery services (such as DoorDash or Uber Eats) to deliver alcoholic beverages. It would also permanently legalize the sale of “takeout” alcoholic beverages, a pandemic-era law set to expire in 2025. If passed, third-party delivery companies would have to obtain a delivery permit, follow various safety provisions. Among them, individuals who deliver alcohol through a third-party delivery company would have to be at least 21 years of age, verify the recipient’s legal age at the time of delivery and refuse delivery to anyone who fails to provide proof of age or appears intoxicated.
