When voters approved the Keep Greeley Moving sales tax for street improvements, road capacity projects and concrete repair it truly was a turning point for the city’s infrastructure. The measure passed with a 57-43 percentage margin, demonstrating voters’ confidence that City government would follow through on the commitment we made to improve Greeley’s streets.
I can say with certainty that we are keeping our promise—major and minor road work projects were completed last year and we’re now gearing up for the 2017 construction season. You can see how we’re planning to spend those tax dollars in 2017 by visiting KeepGreeleyMoving.com where there’s a map of improvements planned for this year.
At the same time, the City Council is considering a ballot measure for November of this year that could help Keep Greeley Moving maintain the momentum we’ve already seen and complete more work on our backlog of needs. You’re probably wondering, “How could there be another measure this soon?” Because of Greeley’s healthy economy in a few sectors, the tax revenue generated the first year exceeded the original $9.4 million estimate by about $997,900. Due to Colorado’s TABOR regulations, voters will need to weigh-in on the City’s ability to keep those dollars for additional road work via the Keep Greeley Moving program.
City staff have put together a list of roads that could be added to the Keep Greeley Moving project list including an additional 8 miles of overlay work in several neighborhoods beyond what was originally planned. The funds would likely include work on some of the worst roads in Pheasant Run, College Green, and Bittersweet neighborhoods, as well as the 28th Street frontage road on the north side of Hwy 34.
Even with this initial progress, we all know street maintenance and improvement needs are ongoing. With a backlog of 80 miles and $55 million in road repairs it’s obvious there’s more work to be done. I invite you to use the website noted above to stay informed about Keep Greeley Moving.
Roy H. Otto
City Manager