Colorado Mountain College Ballot Issue 7C

Without imposing any new tax and without exceeding the limit approved by voters in 2018, shall colorado mountain college waive the 5.25% property tax limit for a period of ten years for investment in:

- Expanding skilled trades, including automotive welding, and construction;
- Training nurses, firefighters, and first responders
- Housing solutions to retain local talent

Colorado Mountain College (CMC) is one of our region’s most important assets - providing affordable education, training our workforce, and supporting our mountain economies. Ballot Measure 7C is not a new tax. It simply restores the authority more than two-thirds of voters approved in 2018, ensuring CMC can continue delivering high- quality programs that meet local needs.

When revenues surged unexpectedly, CMC voluntarily refunded nearly $50 million in property taxes to residents and businesses - the largest refund of its kind in Colorado - because it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, legislation passed in 2024 took away CMC’s ability to use that funding in the future. In other words, CMC’s “good deed” of returning money to taxpayers ended up limiting its ability to respond when those funds are needed.

Passage of 7C will allow CMC to expand training in skilled trades, first responder preparation, and health care - fields where rural Colorado faces ongoing shortages. CMC is the largest, and in many areas the only provider of skilled trades and first responder training in the central mountains, making this measure an investment in safety, economic vitality, and community well-being. CMC has a long track record of partnership with local schools, governments, and employers.

Today, 40% of CMC enrollments are high school students earning free certificates and degrees that prepare them for good jobs here at home. Many of these young people are preparing for critical careers in nursing, firefighting, law enforcement, and the skilled trades - fields where we need them most. With 7C, these opportunities will grow, particularly in areas vital to our local workforce.

A “Yes” vote on 7C strengthens education, workforce readiness, and the economic health of our mountain communities - without creating a new tax.