Moffat County School District RE-1

Moffat County School District RE-1 Building Repair Bonds

School borrowingAn existing tax extended for new debt

Authorizes up to $37 million in Moffat County school debt and up to $67 million in total repayment, extending the 2007 bond tax to pay new obligations.

Moffat County School District RE-1

Kim's Recommendation

Vote No on Moffat County School District RE-1 Ballot Issue 4A

The district says voters first approved the tax behind Issue 4A to build Craig Middle School, and its notice lists $4,335,000 of current debt outstanding. Issue 4A extends that construction tax to repay a new debt of up to $37 million, with up to $67 million in repayment, for work that the district says includes roofs, parking lots, heating and ventilation equipment and carpets and calls essential to its daily operations.

I oppose taking on new debt, since bonds add interest to the cost of every roof and parking lot they cover. The district plans to keep its 6.14-mill rate for 20 more years, and the question leaves the bonds' maturities to the district. A tax voters approved to build one school should not be extended to repay up to $67 million in principal and interest on new borrowing of up to $37 million for repairs and updates.

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

Kim Monson

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

Ballot question

WITHOUT IMPOSING ANY NEW TAX, SHALL MOFFAT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT RE-1 DEBT BE INCREASED UP TO $37 MILLION, WITH A REPAYMENT COST OF UP TO $67 MILLION (PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST), WITH THE PROCEEDS OF SUCH DEBT TO BE USED TO FINANCE THE ACQUISITION, CONSTRUCTION, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS OF THE DISTRICT AND OTHER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AS AUTHORIZED BY LAW; AND SHALL THE TAXES AUTHORIZED AT A BOND ELECTION IN 2007 (MAXIMUM ANNUAL OF $2,700,000) BE EXTENDED AND AUTHORIZED TO BE USED TO PAY THE DEBT AUTHORIZED AT THIS ELECTION IN ADDITION TO THE DEBT AUTHORIZED AT SUCH PRIOR ELECTION; AND SHALL THE MILL LEVY BE INCREASED IN ANY YEAR WITHOUT LIMITATION AS TO RATE BUT ONLY IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PAY THE PRINCIPAL OF AND PREMIUM, IF ANY, AND INTEREST ON SUCH DEBT OR ANY REFUNDING DEBT WHEN DUE (OR TO CREATE A RESERVE FOR SUCH PAYMENT); AND MAY SUCH DEBT BE EVIDENCED BY THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS OR OTHER MULTIPLE FISCAL YEAR OBLIGATIONS THAT BE SOLD IN ONE SERIES OR MORE, FOR A PRICE ABOVE OR BELOW THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT THEREOF, ON TERMS AND CONDITIONS, AND WITH SUCH MATURITIES AS PERMITTED BY LAW AND AS THE DISTRICT MAY DETERMINE; AND SHALL SUCH TAX REVENUES AND THE EARNINGS FROM THE INVESTMENT OF SUCH BOND PROCEEDS AND TAX REVENUES BE COLLECTED, RETAINED AND SPENT AS A VOTER APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE UNDER ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION OR ANY OTHER LAW?

A yes vote means

The district could borrow up to $37 million through bonds or other obligations spanning fiscal years and extend its 2007 bond taxes to repay the new debt alongside the old.

A no vote means

This question would not authorize the new debt or extend the 2007 bond taxes to pay it.

The Tax Behind Craig Middle School01

Moffat County School District RE-1 says voters first approved the property tax behind Ballot Issue 4A to build Craig Middle School. The ballot question refers to the taxes authorized at a 2007 bond election and caps them at $2,700,000 a year; the district's bond page calls it the 2006 bond measure. The district's TABOR notice lists its current debt at $4,335,000 in outstanding principal, with a remaining total repayment cost of $4,510,100 and a maximum annual repayment cost of $2,298,400.

A yes vote extends that tax so it also repays new debt: up to $37 million borrowed, with a repayment cost of up to $67 million in principal and interest. The notice caps the new debt's annual repayment cost at $2,700,000. The district says the current rate of 6.14 mills will continue for another 20 years without raising tax bills. No final repayment date appears in the question, which lets the mill levy rise in any year without a limit on the rate, but only by enough to pay principal, any premium and interest on the debt or any refunding debt when due, or to build a reserve for those payments.

Borrowing and repayment limits

Limit	Amount
New borrowing	Up to $37 million
Total repayment	Up to $67 million
Annual tax, the 2007 bond tax extended (no new tax)	Up to $2.7 million

Moffat County ballot, Moffat County School District RE-1 Ballot Issue 4A

Repairs to Aging Buildings02

The question lists the uses as the district's critical infrastructure needs and other capital improvements authorized by law. The district's bond page says the work includes replacing roofs, repaving parking lots, updating HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) equipment, and other projects such as safety and security upgrades, carpets, asbestos abatement and playground equipment. The district says its buildings other than Craig Middle School range from 40 to 70 years old, that it is not constructing or renovating schools, and that the projects are essential to its daily operations. Unlike the bond voters rejected in 2021, it says, this proposal focuses on essential items in its facilities.

The Bonds and the Revenue03

If 4A passes, the district may issue general obligation bonds or other multiple-fiscal-year obligations, in one or more series, sold above or below face value, with maturities it sets as permitted by law. A yes vote also lets the district keep and spend the tax revenue, and investment earnings on it and on the bond proceeds, as a voter-approved revenue change under TABOR (Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution) or any other law.

Sources04

Official documents

District TABOR notice: Ballot Issue 4A and debt figures, pp. 1–2

District bond plan: repairs, 6.14 mills and 20-year description