Vote NO on Proposition HH

Vote NO on Proposition HH

Many residents in Perry Park have asked the Metropolitan District what our position is regarding Proposition HH, which is on the November 7th ballot.  As both Perry Park property owners and members of the Perry Park Metropolitan District Board of Directors - we unanimously encourage residents to vote NO on Proposition HH, a conclusion shared by the Larkspur Fire Department and the Perry Park Water and Sanitation District.  

We share the following major areas that HH impacts - which helped form our conclusion to vote NO on HH:

1. The advertised reduction in resident property taxes is minimal, followed by smaller reductions in 2025. In 2023, a property valued at $500,000 would have only a $186 - $276 reduction in property tax.

2. TABOR refunds would continue only for 2023 with certainty. Last year, the average TABOR refund was $750 for a single filer and $1,500 for joint filers.

3. The loss of the TABOR (Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights) refunds means that money would be retained by the state, and this loss of money to residents far exceeds the slight property tax reduction to property owners, especially after the first few years.

4. Property tax revenue supports over 3,000 Special Districts in Colorado - including the Perry Park Metro District, Perry Park Water and Sanitation District and Larkspur Fire Protection District. Special districts are more dependent on property tax revenue than any other type of local government, as it is often their primary or even sole source of revenue. 

The reduction that Proposition HH imposes will significantly impact special tax district abilities to continue the same level of services to their local communities.  (The state does not receive revenue from property taxes, thus having nothing to lose by HH and much to gain if it passes).

5. The provision of "back-fill" revenue by the state to special tax districts and other local government entities, e.g., school districts, has a combination of convoluted formulas and doesn’t make up for the loss of revenue to tax districts if HH passes.

6. The additional administrative costs for Colorado at the state level to implement this ballot measure is $195,498 for the 2024-2025 budget years, with ongoing expenditures of $159,779 annually afterward. As taxpayers, we would be paying for this additional cost and does not consider the additional requirements at the county level to implement the changes required of HH.

7. The changes put in place by Proposition HH would remain in place until 2032, but the measure allows the state legislature to extend them without additional voter approval, a bad precedent in our opinion.

8. HH effectively allows the Colorado state level to retain more revenue at the cost of decreasing local services, (which typically receives a substantial amount of their revenue from property taxes within their district). Meanwhile, next year, it can eliminate what taxpayers are due to receive from excess taxes paid (the TABOR refund).

Therefore, the Perry Park Metropolitan Board unanimously urges all residents to vote NO on Proposition HH on November 7th.

Thank you for your attention and support.

Chris Warren, President

Darren Hill, Vice President

Jill Arthurs, Treasurer

Steve Ostrowski, Secretary

Joe Brickweg, Assistant Secretary

Perry Park Metropolitan District