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New day new text... more trees to paper

Beginning
In late 2009 the city officials of Colorado Springs realized they faced a $28 million budget shortfall. To avoid substantial service impacts the officials sought to pass a property tax increase during the November elections. The following information describes the area, the proposed tax measure, and the subsequent choices made by the City Manager, Mayor, and City Council.

In order to better understand the events, it may be helpful to know a bit about city and its citizens:

State of Colorado
2006 Registered Voters:


 * 942,025 D (30.4%)


 * 1,118,597 R (36.1%)


 * 1,037,239 unaffiliated and minor parties (33.5%)

About Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is the 2nd largest city in the state and the 46th largest in the US, by population, with 415,000 residents as of 2009. With a territory of 185 square miles it is the largest city in Colorado by area.

The city sits at the base of Pikes Peak, and is home to the US Air Force Academy. Also nearby are Fort Carson and the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. The city is also home to many conservative evangelical organizations and is the headquarters of Focus on the Family. The diverse economy is dominated by the defense industry, high-tech business, and tourism. As of 2006 the state was in the top five for economic development and venture capital. Citizens of Colorado are at home in the outdoors and boast the lowest obesity percentage in the nation.