Cañon City School District RE-1

Cañon City Schools Mill Levy Override Extension

School tax increaseExtension of an existing override

Cañon City Schools would extend its expiring 2017 property-tax override to continue raising $1,385,000 annually for district schools, with no end date.

Cañon City School District RE-1

On the November 3, 2026 ballot

Kim's Recommendation

Vote No on Cañon City School District RE-1 Ballot Issue 4A

I object first to the lost end date. Issue 4A takes an override that the district's voters approved in 2017 with an end date and gives it none. A yes vote keeps $1,385,000 a year on district property bills after the 2017 levy is scheduled to expire; a no vote lets it end.

I also object to how the question sets the tax. It fixes the dollars and lets the rate follow them, so in a year when the district's assessed value falls, as its budget assumes for 2026-27, property owners pay a higher rate for the same $1,385,000.

I oppose turning a tax that voters approved for a limited time into a permanent one whose rate climbs whenever the district's assessed value falls.

I recommend a no vote on Cañon City School District RE-1 Ballot Issue 4A.

Kim Monson

Host, The Kim Monson Show · President, Colorado Union of Taxpayers · Colorado Voter's Guide 2026

Certified ballot question

MILL LEVY OVERRIDE EXTENSION

WITHOUT INCREASING TAXES, SHALL SCHOOL DISTRICT FREMONT RE-1 (CAÑON CITY SCHOOLS) EXTEND TAXES APPROVED BY THE DISTRICT’S VOTERS IN 2017 AND WHICH ARE SCHEDULED TO EXPIRE, TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FUNDS USED IN ALL DISTRICT SCHOOLS, INCLUDING MOUNTAIN VIEW CORE KNOWLEDGE SCHOOL, TO: · ENHANCE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR CAÑON CITY PRESCHOOLERS; · SUSTAIN STUDENT ACCESS TO MODERN TECHNOLOGY; · INVEST IN COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS; · ATTRACT AND RETAIN QUALITY TEACHERS AND STAFF; AND · PREPARE STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS AFTER GRADUATION BY PROVIDING CAREER TRAINING, INTERNSHIPS, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO EARN COLLEGE CREDIT AND INDUSTRY CREDENTIALS. THROUGH AN ONGOING PROPERTY TAX OVERRIDE MILL LEVY IMPOSED AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO CONTINUE FUNDING $1,385,000 ANNUALLY FOR DEPOSIT INTO THE DISTRICT’S GENERAL FUND AND TO BE IN ADDITION TO THE PROPERTY TAXES THAT OTHERWISE WOULD BE LEVIED FOR THE GENERAL FUND?

A yes vote means

The district could continue the 2017 property-tax override as an ongoing levy for its general fund.

A no vote means

The 2017 override would expire as scheduled.

Extending the Levy With No End Date01

In 2017, voters in School District Fremont RE-1, known as Cañon City Schools, approved a property tax override that is scheduled to expire. Issue 4A extends it with no end date. It sets the levy at a rate sufficient to raise $1,385,000 a year for the district's general fund, in addition to the property taxes the district otherwise levies for that fund.

Each year the rate is whatever raises $1,385,000 from the district's assessed value, so the rate falls when that value grows and rises when it shrinks. The question adds no inflation increase to the amount.

The ballot heading reads "MILL LEVY OVERRIDE EXTENSION WITHOUT INCREASING TAXES." The district's adopted 2026-27 budget lists $1,384,877 in its mill levy override fund for 2025-26 and the same for 2026-27, so the extension keeps a collection the district already receives. A no vote lets the 2017 levy end on its schedule.

The Board of Education voted 5-0 on August 10, 2026, to call the election and set the ballot title.

Estimated annual property tax this measure continues

The question's $1,385,000 a year, set against the net assessed valuation Canon City RE-1 School District's budget gives for 2025-26 ($423,768,910), works out to about 3.268 mills: $3.27 a year for every $1,000 of taxable assessed value.

Example at $100,000 taxable assessed value

$100,000 × about 3.268 ÷ 1,000 = $326.83

Taxable assessed value is not a home's market value. For 2026 it is about 6% to 7% of the actual value the county assessor sets. A home with an actual value of $500,000 has an assessed value of about $30,600 for local government taxes and $35,250 for school district taxes.

An estimate: the mill figure uses the district's net assessed valuation for 2025-26, and the value when the tax is collected will differ. The question states a dollar amount ($1,385,000 a year), not a mill rate. The question continues existing tax authority rather than creating a new tax. This estimate shows what the continued levy would raise; an individual property's bill can change with the annual levy and its taxable assessed value.

Fremont County ballot, Cañon City School District RE-1 ballot issue 4A

Where the Money Goes02

The question directs the money to all district schools, including Mountain View Core Knowledge School, for five purposes: educational opportunities for Cañon City preschoolers, student access to modern technology, school safety improvements, attracting and retaining teachers and staff, and career training, internships and chances to earn college credit and industry credentials.

Mountain View Core Knowledge is a charter school the district sponsors. Under a district policy that began with its 2018-19 budget, the district transfers a per-pupil share of override revenue to that school in each year the override is in effect.

Enrollment and the Budget03

The Colorado Department of Education counts 3,082 students in the district for 2025-26, down 113 from the year before. The adopted 2026-27 budget plans general fund spending of $39,552,737 against revenue of $39,000,000, a deficit of $552,737 that leaves a fund balance of $7,350,732. The same budget assumes net assessed valuation of $418,340,825 for 2026-27, below the $423,768,910 it lists for 2025-26.

Campaign support and opposition04

For

Building Bridges for Quality Canon City SchoolsContributions $6,100 · Expenditures $1,802

TRACER filing, October 28, 2026

Sources05

Official documents

Fremont County sample ballot, November 3, 2026 election