A leasing sign advertises 154 units of affordable housing at Mosaic Community Campus in Denver on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Digging for more money to inject into affordable housing, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is considering asking the City Council to refer a sales tax increase to the November ballot, administration officials confirmed to The Denver Post.
And a consortium of groups headlined by Gary Community Ventures and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver last month raised the specter of another potential tax request. The consortium sent a memo to city officials recommending a referred ballot question that would raise the city’s sales tax by 0.25% to pay for after-school programs and youth violence prevention.
Flynn, in that hearing, referenced two other sales tax proposals that could raise the city’s rate as high as 9.6%. Reached on Thursday, Flynn declined to comment further. He noted in his committee comments that it appeared that one of those unspecified sales tax measures was not going to move forward this year.
“Right now, we know that Denver lacks the volume of affordable housing we need to meet our community’s needs,” Fuja said in a statement. “In order to tackle this challenge head-on, we’re exploring all options to fund affordable housing in the city.” The clock is ticking for any measure that will require City Council support to reach the November ballot.
Denver was awarded $308 million through the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA. More than a third of that money was allocated to housing and homelessness programs and support,Denver’s current standard sales tax of 8.81% includes portions that go to the state, the Regional Transportation District and cultural facilities. But Dernverites have been more than happy to support increases for specific city needs in recent years.