Denver is expecting to place a half billion dollar general obligation bond before the voters in November 17 to pay for an extensive list of capital projects. This would be the first GO bond placed before the voters since the 2007 Better Denver Bond Program that totaled $550 million and has funded 380 separate projects ranging from streets to libraries to fire stations, parks, trails and recreation center improvements.
Denver is seeking community input now to develop an initial list of projects that will be vetted and prioritized next spring. City Council will make a final determination on projects and total amount of the bond issuance next summer. The city has the capacity to issue between $500 and $600 million in GO debt without raising taxes.
Three public meetings have already been held, with the first occurring Nov. 15 at the Montbello campus. At the Montbello meeting, Tykus Holloway, Deputy Chief Projects Manager in the Mayor’s office, said the city’s 2015-2020 Six-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), also referred to as Elevate 2020, is the starting point for what he hopes is a long list of project ideas to be generated through this public input process. Projects supported with a GO bond must be city-owned and –operated assets. Over the winter, he said he expects the mayor to form a stakeholder committee to winnow the initial list for presentation to the public in a second round of input meetings in the spring.
Comments will also be taken on-line through the end of the year at this web site: www.denvergov.org/2017GOBond. Public comment forms can be obtained at submitted at any of Denver’s libraries or recreation centers through December 21.
To get community input, public meetings co-hosted by Denver City Council members will be held:
Thurs., Dec. 1, 6-7:30 p.m.: Lincoln High School, 2285 S. Federal Blvd.
Tues., Dec. 6, 6-7:30 p.m.: Bruce Randolph School, 3955 Steele St.
Thurs., Dec. 8, 6-7:30 p.m.: South High School, 1700 E. Louisiana Ave.
