Mayor Hickenlooper announced an early childhood initiative in the State of the City speech on July 12th. According to the Denver Post, passage of the new tax may not be a slam dunk.
From the article, "A proposed sales tax for early childhood education has Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper once again facing concern that voters may reach their taxation limit. Hickenlooper has been unstoppable backing initiatives since he took office - he is, at worst, 11-1 counting Referendum D's failure in 2005. But the sales tax initiative that the City Council will consider tonight - along with a desire among city officials for a bond issue to help with the city's $300 million capital projects backlog - has renewed skepticism that the mayor can continue to persuade Denver residents to raise taxes...
"Lynea Hansen, the spokeswoman for the Mayor's Leadership Team on Early Childhood Education, said the proposal is much improved over the previous kids tax initiatives, which were perceived as vague. This proposal is targeted specifically for 4-year-olds - the age before children enter kindergarten. And it's cheaper. The current proposal would be a 12-cent tax on every $100 spent. It would collect $12 million a year, where the previous efforts planned for $30 million...
"The proposal would raise funds for child-care tuition credits for families and improvement funds for providers. Credits would be distributed based on need and the quality of the preschool program. Parents could choose any state-licensed preschool program."
Correction: Coyote Gulch incorrectly reported (during coverage of the SOC speech) that the tax was to be a hike in property tax.
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
5:56:00 AM 
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