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BUDGET UPDATE Continued from page 1 have suggestions for additional budget and service cuts, we want to hear from you! You may email your comments to CityCouncil @LouisvilleCO.gov or call your City Council representatives at the phone numbers listed on page one. You may also attend and speak at the City Council public hearing when the Council considers whether or not to place the Use Tax question on the November ballot. That hearing will take place at 7:00 PM on July 20th at City Hall, 749 Main Street. Your opinion is very important to us, we welcome your input, and we want to hear from you!! WHERE DOES MY SALES TAX Go? In Louisville, the total sales tax per purchase is 8.25 %. It is divided a follows: • State of Colorado = 4.1 % • General Sales Tax 2.900% • Regional Transportation District 1.000% • Cultural Facilities District 0.100% • Football Stadium District 0.100% • Boulder County = .65% • Open Space 0.450% • Non - Profit Human Services 0.050% • Jail Improvements 0.050% • Transportation Improvements 0.100% • Louisville = 3.5% • General Sales Tax 3.000% • Louisville Open Space 0.375% • Louisville Historic Preservation 0.125% WHERE DOES MY PROPERTY TAX Go? In Louisville, the total mill levy on a residential property is 78.57. It is divided a follows: • Boulder Valley School District • Boulder County • City of Louisville • Louisville Fire Protection District • Northern Colorado Water District • Urban Drainage and Flood Control 39.999 23.667 6.710 6.686 1.000 0.508 If you own a home in Louisville valued at $350,000 the portion of your annual property tax paid to the City of Louisville is approximately $187 or 8.7% of your total property tax bill. MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR Continued from page 1 just celebrated its seventeenth year in business. The businesses in the Centennial Valley have been busier this year than last. The employment base in Centennial Valley continues to increase and we see new jobs being created and vacant spaces being occupied. The Colorado Technologic Center (CTC) has been bustling with new companies moving into CTC and existing companies expanding. With this mixed bag of economic news, where do we go to stabilize our revenue for the City and how do we continue to provide the services our citizens expect? Therein lies the dilemma with which we are faced this year. Many of you will say "here he goes suggesting a tax increase." Well, I hate to disappoint you because I don't particularly like or support new taxes unless they can be justified. We have examples recently where the voters have approved new taxes. The historic preservation tax won handily at a time when most proposed tax increases were summarily rejected. Additionally, the Superior residents this year voted to tax themselves to receive services from the Louisville Library. My point simply is, if there is a use tax proposed in Louisville, it will be incumbent upon the elected officials to il- lustrate how this tax will not only maintain our quality of life, but to enhance it, not only for us, but for our children as well. Are we willing to impose a use tax on businesses and on indi- viduals to ensure a revenue stream that is not dependent on retail sales taxes, which are so unpredictable given economic gyrations and the competition from other communities vying for the same retail dollars to operate their cities? Do we want to continue programs that benefit our seniors, allow our infrastructure and streets to be maintained, hire two additional police officers, and yes, bring back the July 4th celebration? These are some of the cutbacks we have already made. Now we, as a community, need to make a value judg- ment as to whether these services are enough to justify a use tax. I anticipate a strong head wind against any new taxes and understand that sentiment completely. The counter to that is whether we think our community is willing to stand up and say we want these services and we are willing to pay for them. Clearly the choice will be with the voters. We have heard from many of you and the responses have been as varied as you can imagine. No one said this would be an easy decision for the City Council or for the voters. If you have comments, please contact us at CityCouncil@LouisvilleCO.gov. I thank you in advance for your consideration of these complex, but necessary, questions that deserve your attention. Summer 2010