Frederick Bonds for Street and Transportation Projects
BorrowingStreet bonds conditional on the tax increase in 2D
Authorizes up to $26 million in street and transportation bonds, with repayment up to $57 million, only if the tax increase in 2D also passes.
Town of Frederick
Kim's Recommendation
NO
Vote No on Town of Frederick ballot issue 2E
Ballot Issue 2E sets two ceilings and leaves the rest of the borrowing to the Frederick Board of Trustees: the timing, the maturity and the redemption terms, under an authority that no lapse of time ends.
The one cost figure in this question is the $57 million repayment ceiling on $26 million in bonds, and town staff say the interest raises what the projects cost. The ordinance's project list is illustrative, and the board can change it. I treat the vote TABOR requires on multi-year debt as the place where voters settle what a town borrows for and on what terms. This question seeks approval before the interest rate, the repayment schedule or the final project list is known. I oppose borrowing on terms the ballot leaves to the board.
I recommend a no vote on Town of Frederick ballot issue 2E.
Kim Monson
Host, The Kim Monson Show · President, Colorado Union of Taxpayers · Colorado Voter's Guide 2026
Certified ballot question
Debt Question
SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF A ONE PERCENT INCREASE IN SALES AND USE TAX, SHALL THE TOWN OF FREDERICK DEBT BE INCREASED UP TO $26 MILLION, WITH A MAXIMUM REPAYMENT COST OF UP TO $57 MILLION, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING FINANCING OF STREET AND TRANSPORTATION CAPITAL PROJECTS BY THE ISSUANCE AND PAYMENT OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS, WHICH SHALL MATURE, BE SUBJECT TO REDEMPTION, WITH OR WITHOUT PREMIUM, AND BE ISSUED, DATED AND SOLD AT SUCH TIME OR TIMES, AT SUCH PRICES (AT, ABOVE OR BELOW PAR) AND IN SUCH MANNER AND CONTAINING SUCH TERMS, NOT INCONSISTENT HEREWITH, AS THE TOWN BOARD MAY DETERMINE?
A yes vote means
Authorizes the bonds within the stated limits, conditional on approval of the sales and use tax increase in 2D.
A no vote means
Rejects this bond authorization, regardless of the separate result on 2D.
Debt Limit and Repayment Ceiling01
Ballot Issue 2E asks whether the Town of Frederick's debt shall be increased by up to $26 million, with a maximum repayment cost of up to $57 million, through general obligation bonds for street and transportation capital projects. Frederick's Board of Trustees, the Town Board named on the ballot, decides when to issue and sell the bonds, their maturity and redemption terms, and whether they sell at, above or below par. The question sets no final maturity and no interest rate.
The board set this ballot language in Ordinance No. 1423 on September 2, 2026, by a unanimous roll call vote, according to the minutes presented on September 16. Town staff noted that TABOR requires that "any multi-fiscal year obligation or debt be first approved by the community through an election."
Borrowing and repayment limits
Limit
Amount
New borrowing
Up to $26 million
Total repayment
Up to $57 million
Weld County ballot, Town of Frederick ballot issue 2E
Tied to the Transportation Sales Tax02
Question 2E opens "subject to the approval of a one percent increase in sales and use tax." Ordinance No. 1422 set the language of Ballot Issue 2D, the question to raise Frederick's sales and use tax rate by one percent (1.0%) beginning January 1, 2027, for street, alley and related transportation infrastructure. Section 5 of Ordinance No. 1423 makes the debt increase effective only if 2D passes; if the tax fails, "the debt increase shall be deemed to have no effect."
The town's transportation tax page says existing transportation funding "is not enough to repay a large loan while also covering current transportation needs."
Board Discretion Over Bonds and Projects03
Section 7 of the ordinance lets the board issue the bonds "at any one time, or from time to time," and states that neither partial use of the authority "nor any lapse of time" exhausts or limits it. Town staff wrote that future debt issuances "will require further Board action."
Section 8 attaches a priority project list as of August 2026, including paving and safety improvements on Silver Birch and Bella Rosa, turn lanes at congested intersections and school zone safety improvements. The ordinance calls the list "illustrative," requires no order of completion, and reserves the board's flexibility to adjust it. The town's transportation page says its potential project list represents approximately $88.6 million in estimated improvements and that bonding would not fund the entire list.
Staff advised that the debt "will increase the cost of projects due to the repayment of interest," and that expediting projects will avoid the continual increase in their cost through inflation.
The Town of Frederick's official Elections page lists the November 3, 2026 ballot questions and includes Ballot Issue 2E as a proposed up-to-$26 million general obligation bond for street and transportation capital projects subject to a one percent sales and use tax increase.
