In Castle Pines, major roads have “outlived their lifespan,” a city webpage says. And the money the city spends on roads is not enough to keep pace with the backlog of road maintenance needs, the city says.

To address that problem, Castle Pines officials are considering asking voters for a 1 percentage-point sales tax increase in November.

Voters may also see a question of whether to support consolidating parks management under the City of Castle Pines — as opposed to having other entities involved — which the city says will allow for more efficient management.

Currently in Castle Pines, each metro district, a type of local government entity, is responsible for maintaining parks, trails and open space within its boundaries, according to the city’s website.

Here’s a breakdown of both possible ballot questions the city might decide to float in November.

Sales tax question

Castle Pines Parkway and Monarch Boulevard were constructed over the course of 10 years, starting in 1985, according to a webpage about the city’s road projects.

Decades later, Castle Pines “has a growing backlog of road maintenance needs and currently no dedicated revenue for that purpose,” the city’s website says.

The money the city allocates for roads out of the “general fund” — one of the buckets of city revenue — is not enough to keep pace with the backlog, and the city is falling further behind each year, the website says.

The possible November ballot question would ask voters for a sales tax increase to specifically fund road repairs, maintenance and “capital improvement projects” in Castle Pines.

(“Capital projects” generally means infrastructure projects, for things like road construction and traffic signals.)

“A dedicated sales tax would be paid not only by residents but also by visitors who purchase goods and services in the city,” the city’s website says.

Residents currently pay 4.5 mills of property tax to the city, but the funding collected from property taxes is passed to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office for public safety services, the city website says.

Castle Pines’s current sales tax rate is 2.75%. Elsewhere in Douglas County, sales tax rates are 2.8125% in Lone Tree, 3% in Parker and 4% in Castle Rock. Denver has a sales tax of 4.81%.

Sales tax rates at other levels of government also make up the total sales tax in a city. With the state sales tax of 2.9%, the Douglas County sales tax of 1% and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District sales tax of 0.1%, the current overall total sales tax in Castle Pines is 6.75%, the city website says.

With the possible new sales tax increase, the tax rate would be 7.75%.

Parks and rec management

Voters could also see a ballot question about centralizing the management of all parks, trails, recreation and open space under the City of Castle Pines.

Consolidating parks management would provide benefits including the ability to negotiate a single maintenance contract for the entire city, which “will provide economies of scale that save money,” the city’s website says.

The plan would also make it easier for the city to “ensure consistent levels of service and amenities at all city-managed parks, trails, and open space areas,” the website adds.

The proposal would not increase the property tax rate, or mill levy, for homeowners, the city says.

People’s property tax bills are determined by a few factors, including the property tax rate and the property’s assessed value.

For residential property, the assessed value is approximately 6.6% the property’s actual value, which is determined by the county assessor, Castle Pines’ website says.

A mill is one thousandth of a dollar. For example, in a tax area with a mill levy of 10 mills, a residential property owner pays about $10 for every $1,000 in assessed value.

The possible Castle Pines ballot question on parks would ask residents to support a rate of 12 mills for the city to manage public parks and recreation. Local metropolitan districts, except Hidden Pointe, would then permanently reduce 12 mills of their property tax collection, transferring those mills to the city from the metro district, according to the city website.

Homeowners in the North Pine Vista Metro District, where homeowners pay into two metro districts, would have a net decrease in property tax mills, the website says.

“The city is continuing to work with the Hidden (Pointe) to determine its possible mills reduction,” the website says.

Telephone town hall for questions

The city was set to hold a telephone town hall at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 24 to provide information about the possible ballot measures.

“You'll have a chance to hear from Mayor Tracy Engerman and Council Members Roger Hudson and Chris Eubanks and ask questions during this live telephone conversation,” the city’s website says.

For information on how to participate or to preregister, the public can visit the city's website at CastlePinesCO.gov/Engagement. Or call the city at 303-705-0200.