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Rifle City Council to Decide on Sales Tax Increase Question for Ballot

by KREX News Room
by Jordan Sherman

Story Created: Aug 15, 2012 at 5:25 PM MDT

Story Updated: Aug 15, 2012 at 6:29 PM MDT

RIFLE, Colo.- The Rifle City Council is voting Wednesday night on whether or not to put a sales tax increase on the November ballot.

The proposed increase of 0.75 percent would help pay for a $25 million water treatment facility that will be constructed later this year.

If the council votes to put the question on the ballot and the citizens of Rifle vote to approve the sales tax increase, roughly two-thirds of the new facility will be paid for. If they vote against it, then the facility will be paid for by higher water rates.

The old facility, Graham Mesa Water Treatment Plant, was built in the late 1970s and is unable to remove a smell and odor of algae from tap water.

"During the summertime, especially if we have really hot weather, we get algae blooms that cause very poor tasting water," said Rifle City Manager John Hire.

It's also predicted the old facility will struggle with water capacity issues. By the time the new facility is operational in 2014, water demand will be at capacity for the new facility.


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