FAQ - Littleton Ballot Question 3K

Q. What is Ballot Question 3K?

The Littleton City Council voted unanimously September 5 to place a question on the ballot that if approved, would allow the city to keep revenues already received and continue using them for critical street maintenance and other backlogged capital projects.

Q. Is Ballot Question 3K a tax increase?

No, this question is not a tax increase and would allow the city to utilize revenues already collected for the purposes already approved by voters.

Q. How are the revenues in question currently being used?

In 2021, Ballot Question 3A was approved by 59% of voters. These revenues are dedicated to completing many infrastructure improvements in the capital projects fund with more planned every year in the future including:

• 25 miles of neighborhood street resurfacing (2023)
• Improvements to the Santa Fe/Mineral intersection, the city’s match is $6 million (2024-2025)
• Partnering with Centennial and Douglas County to widen County Line Road to four lanes from Broadway to University including a new traffic signal at Clarkson and noise walls on the north side to protect neighborhoods (2023-2025)
• Three new raised pedestrian crossings with flashing beacons to improve pedestrian safety in Downtown Littleton (2023)
• A new traffic signal at Mineral Avenue and Pennsylvania (2023)
• Repair of Hinsdale Avenue in Littleton Village (2023)
• Installation of fiber optics on Broadway from Powers to Arapahoe and upgraded traffic signals to make signal operations more efficient (2023)
• Removal, repair, and replacement of asphalt, damaged concrete, and drainage upgrades in the Aberdeen Village, Happy Homes, and Centennial Acres neighborhoods (2023)
• Future enhanced design, lighting, and landscaping in Downtown Littleton (2025)

Q. Why are voters being asked to approve expenditure of the revenues again?

The new, dedicated sales tax increase from Ballot Question 3A was estimated to generate $10 million per year for the capital projects fund to improve the city’s roads, bridges, sidewalks, and infrastructure. Ballot Question 3A is actually generating approximately $11.1 million annually, $1.1 million more than expected. Overall revenues to the City of Littleton were $4.8 million more than estimated. The economy has bounced back better than anticipated and the overage is attributed to a stronger economy than was forecast during the pandemic. The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) provisions of the state constitution required the city to provide a good faith estimate of the amount of revenue the new .75% sales tax rate increase 3A would generate, as well as an estimate of the total amount of revenue the city receives in a year. These predictions were made during the pandemic when the economy was uncertain. TABOR requires revenue generated above the required estimates to be either refunded or subjected to a ballot question to retain them.

Q. What happens if voters turn down Ballot Question 3K?

If voters turn the ballot question down, a refund will be required in 2023 and 2024. Additionally, the rate and revenue associated with the 3A sales tax will be reduced from approximately $11 million to $5 million each year. A refund and reduction of this amount would indefinitely delay more than half of the planned 3A infrastructure work every year moving forward, unless or until approved by voters again.

Visit BigThingsLittleton.com to get more information about infrastructure projects.

Three raised crossings with flashing beacons were installed in Downtown LIttleton to improve pedestrian safety.

Twenty-five miles of neighborhood streets received slurry seal in the summer of 2023.