The Montezuma County commissioners have changed the way in which a proposed sales tax would be divided between the sheriff’s office and the Road and Bridge Department.
They are thinking of putting a question on the November ballot asking voters to approve a 1 percent tax for the county but have not finalized that decision.
Originally they indicated they would divide proceeds from the tax equally between the sheriff’s office and road department. But at their regular meeting on Tuesday, they said it would be better to have a 60-40 split, with the larger portion going to the sheriff’s office.
They said the sheriff’s office has a bigger budget and has to deal with a number of issues, including maintaining the detention center according to required standards.
Chair James Candelaria said the road and bridge department may have to deal with rising oil costs in the future, depending on what happens in the Middle East, “but we can’t look into a crystal ball and see that.”
Montezuma County is one of only a very few counties in the state of Colorado that has no sales tax for itself. County shoppers do have to pay a state sales tax as well as taxes in the municipalities, but those funds do not go to the county.
The commissioners have said they will submit details of the proposed tax to the research firm Magellan Strategies and Advocacy Marketing to do a preliminary survey to see how the community views the tax.
In 2024, local voters rejected a 1 percent sales tax that would have gone to the sheriff’s office, detention center, and drug task force.
