Colorado Mountain College president Stan Jensen said last week that passage of Proposition 101 and Amendments 60 and 61 in November could cause a large increase in tuition and delay the school’s plans for a new four-year degree program.
Jensen outlined the anti-tax measures’ possible impact on the community college’s district at the monthly board meeting. Trustees adopted a resolution opposing the proposals at the June meeting.
“We do need to factor in what happens with the November election,” Jensen said. “If 101, 60, or 61 pass, that may radically change whatever options we do have.”
Amendment 60 would force districts to cut their mill levies in half by 2020, with the lost revenue to be replaced with state aid.
Amendment 61 would require that local governments get voter approval before issuing any debt, which would have a maximum maturity of 10 years.
The Colorado Mountain Junior College District operates 12 facilities in nine counties of north-central Colorado, west of Denver. Proposition 101 would reduce vehicle registration fees to a maximum of $10 a year. It would also eliminate taxes on telephones and cable television bills.
Linda English, the district’s vice president of finance, told trustees that the ballot measures would delay maintenance projects and the construction of new buildings, and could require an increase in tuition of up to 60%. One of the two campuses in Garfield and Summit counties would also have to be closed, she said.
