MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Leaders in historic Manitou Springs say budget cuts are inevitable after a ballot measure seeking to increase tourism tax revenue failed.
Measure 2A is projected to fail with just over 56% of voters saying no, and just under 44% of voters saying yes. That measure would have allowed Manitou Springs leaders to increase the excise tax for ticket sales and admission fees, things that largely pertain to tourism driven businesses.
Manitou Springs mayor John Graham says city leadership now has to make budget cuts, something he says goes back to Colorado Springs legalizing recreational marijuana sales in April. Since then, recreational marijuana sales tax revenue in Manitou Springs has been down…