Aurora’s long-term fiscal health depends on a basic reality: population growth alone does not pay for city services. Retail and dining activity does.
Cities fund police, fire, roads, parks and public facilities largely through sales tax. When retail activity does not keep pace with population growth, cities face ongoing pressure—more people to serve and streets to plow, but not enough tax revenue to support the added demand.
In Aurora the warning signs are increasingly clear. In recent years, the city has closed or consolidated public facilities and sold $35 million in Certificates of Participation (quasi-debt) for basic street maintenance. Sudden facility closures and borrowing for routine upkeep are red flags that everyday needs are exceeding available revenue…