Fresh off getting $6 million in voter-approved funds to spend on affordable housing, Basalt officials are exploring doing more than throwing money at the issue. New regulations might be coming in 2022.
Work will help Town Council decide on election in 2021
Staff report
The town of Basalt has appointed volunteers to assess capital needs, solicit input from citizens and make recommendations on how to proceed to the Town Council.
The appointment of the Capital Needs Committee was part of the Basalt Forward 2030 project. The project is a council-approved initiative to take recommendations from the 2020 Master Plan as well as a professionally prepared Facility Needs Study to identify and prioritize capital improvements.
“The project may lead to Town Council asking voters in November 2021 to approve bonds and a property tax extension to help finance projects that are identified through the process and supported by the community,” said a news release from the town government. “The Town has an opportunity to seek voter approval for bonding to complete projects, without seeking a tax increase.”
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The town of Basalt anticipated reaping $480,000 in revenue from a tax on tobacco products in 2020, so it is planning to put the funds to good use in 2021.
The Town Council voted 6-0 Tuesday night to provide $150,000 to the Aspen Hope Center for various counseling programs, $100,000 to the Roaring Fork School District to fund a mental health and behavioral health therapist at Basalt Elementary School and $80,000 for grants of as much as $10,000 for nonprofit organizations that serve Basalt and have programs related to tobacco use prevention or cessation.
Town Manager Ryan Mahoney said the expenditures align with the uses outlined in an April 2018 ballot question. Voters passed a $2 tax on a pack of cigarettes and a 40% tax on other tobacco products.