Denver voters embrace library upgrades tax

Alex Edwards, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Updated ·1 min read

Nov. 9—Denver voters Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a new property-owner tax that will inject $32 million into the city's library system, according to early unofficial results Wednesday.

Question 21 was passing 65% to 35% early Wednesday, with 122,281 votes counted, according to Denvervotes.org.

The Denver City Council voted 11-1 in August to put the property tax hike to support roughly $32 million in funding for the Denver Public Library to voters Tuesday.

The increase — which shakes out to about $4.19 more per month for the average Denver homeowner — would support salaries, tech and infrastructure improvements, longer hours and programming for the city's libraries. It would also provide a dedicated funding stream and some insulation from any budgetary restraints the city's general fund may face, according to library officials' presentation to council.