Aurora voters shot down three ballot measures that would have raised city sales taxes for the first time since 1993 to pay for infrastructure, transportation and public safety improvements.
Elected officials in the city were surprised and disappointed by the outcome, saying infrastructure projects need to be funded and the city’s budget deficit cannot accommodate them.
Aurora City Councilmember Curtis Gardner, who spearheaded efforts to get the tax increases on the ballot, said it was not the outcome he expected, adding that city officials did about three years of public engagement and the city’s polling indicated the measures would succeed…