Election 2020: Greeley City Council votes to put Food Tax on the ballot

By Kelly Ragan

After months of wondering what local taxes we’d see on the 2020 ballot (deep down, we know you’ve been JUST as curious), we finally have an answer. 

At a meeting Tuesday, Greeley city councilmembers voted to put the Food Tax on the 2020 ballot and leave the Keep Greeley Moving tax off the ballot this year. 

Mayor John Gates said he was amazed that the polling for both measures was so positive, but he ultimately didn’t want to take chances. 

“These are challenging times. We don’t know what’s going to happen next year,” Gates said. “I’d like to go for both, but I am concerned about the margin of error, and I’m concerned about losing the food tax.” 

Councilmember Tommy Butler alone supported putting both on the ballot.

“My thought is that we don’t know what the economy will look like next year,” Butler said. “…We should take as many swings as we can here.” 

Back in March, city councilmembers said their goal was to put both taxes on the November 2020 ballot. 

What is the Food Tax? 

It’s is a 3% sales tax on groceries. The money raised by it goes toward repair and replacement of public buildings, recreational facilities and streets. It brings the city about $9 million annually. 

The tax has enjoyed enough community support to hold strong 30 years since it was first approved in 1990. A vote to pass the Food Tax wouldn’t raise taxes – instead, it will extend the life of a tax that already exists. As it stands, it’s set to expire in 2021, which means the city would have only one more chance to get it passed. 

Between 2014-18, the Food Tax funded: 

• $5.7 million for park maintenance 

• $6.9 million for building maintenance 

• $500K for traffic signal maintenance 

• $29.7 million for street maintenance 

• $1.8 million for ADA accessibility 

What about the Keep Greeley Moving tax? 

The Keep Greeley Moving tax, a .65% retail sales tax used to fund road improvements and repairs, is set to expire Dec. 31, 2022. That means the city has another year to put it in the ballot before it needs the cash to keep up with repairs. 

It’s important to note that even though city councilmembers voted against putting Keep Greeley Moving on the ballot this year, they don’t oppose it. 

“I believe in (Keep Greeley Moving) and I believe that with the people and the work that’s been done by the city, we’ll pass that,” said councilmember Ed Clark. “But I don’t think this is the environment to bring two forward.”