Weld RE-8’s New Override and Extension of Expiring Taxes
School tax increaseA new override plus continuation of an expiring levy
Adds up to $4.9 million in annual Weld RE-8 property taxes and continues $2.675 million in expiring taxes for staff and programs, in one vote.
Weld County School District RE-8
Kim's Recommendation
NO
Vote No on Weld County School District RE-8 ballot issue 5C
Issue 5C joins two requests that deserve separate answers. Extending $2,675,000 of existing taxes that are scheduled to expire is one decision; adding up to $4,900,000 a year in new taxes is another. The district placed both in one question, so the expiring money continues only if the larger new tax comes with it.
Neither amount carries an end date, and the mill levy moves each year to whatever rate produces the fixed amounts. In 2023 the district's voters turned down a $4 million override. I want each amount to come before the district's voters by itself, with an end date, so they can judge the pay and turnover results the district says the money is intended to bring before they pay for more.
I recommend a no vote on Weld County School District RE-8 ballot issue 5C.
Kim Monson
Host, The Kim Monson Show · President, Colorado Union of Taxpayers · Colorado Voter's Guide 2026
Certified ballot question
SHALL WELD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. RE-8 TAXES BE INCREASED UP TO $4,900,000 ANNUALLY AND SHALL $2,675,000 OF EXISTING TAXES WHICH ARE SCHEDULED TO EXPIRE BE EXTENDED TO CONTINUE TO ADDRESS OPERATIONAL NEEDS, INCLUDING · MAINTAINING COMPETITIVE SALARIES AND WAGES FOR DISTRICT TEACHERS, TEACHERS' AIDES, BUS DRIVERS, CUSTODIANS, AND OTHER SUPPORT STAFF; AND · EXPAND PROGRAMMING, INCLUDING CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION OFFERINGS, AND HIRING ADDITIONAL EDUCATORS; BY AUTHORIZING A VARIABLE MILL LEVY OVERRIDE ANNUALLY LEVIED AT RATES SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE THE FIXED AMOUNTS SPECIFIED ABOVE, TO BE IN ADDITION TO THE TAXES THAT OTHERWISE WOULD BE LEVIED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 22-54-108 OF THE COLORADO REVISED STATUTES AND TO CONSTITUTE A VOTER-APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE?
A yes vote means
Approves both the new annual override of up to $4.9 million and the extension of $2.675 million in expiring taxes.
A no vote means
Rejects the new override and leaves the existing $2.675 million in taxes to expire on their current schedule.
One Question, Two Amounts01
Ballot Issue 5C raises Weld County School District RE-8's taxes by up to $4,900,000 a year and extends $2,675,000 of existing taxes that are scheduled to expire. One yes or no decides both. Each year the district levies a variable mill levy at whatever rate produces those fixed amounts, in addition to the taxes that would otherwise be levied under section 22-54-108 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, and the revenue is a voter-approved revenue change. The question states no end date for either amount.
The board adopted the ballot resolution 5-0 on August 13, 2026. At the same meeting, a board committee report noted that curriculum funds sit in the mill levy override "that will be sunsetting this year."
Uses of the Money02
The question lists operational needs, including competitive salaries and wages for teachers, teachers' aides, bus drivers, custodians and other support staff, and expanded programming, including career and technical education and hiring additional educators. The district's override page says Weld Re-8's starting teacher salary is $6,500 to $17,000 less than many neighboring districts, and it ties that gap to a 23% teacher turnover rate, against a 17% statewide average. The page names the career programs the money would strengthen, including construction, culinary arts, agriculture and information technology, and says it is considering a healthcare pathway.
Estimated Cost to Homeowners03
The district's preliminary estimate of the new $4.9 million's net tax impact is $82 a year on a home with an actual value of $300,000, $109 on a $400,000 home and $137 on a $500,000 home. Based on current assessed valuation, the district says, the oil and gas industry would pay more than half of the taxes associated with the override.
Estimated annual property tax increase
The question's up to $4.9 million a year, set against Weld County RE-8 School District's certified assessed value for tax year 2025 ($1,296,420,480), works out to about 3.78 mills: $3.78 a year for every $1,000 of taxable assessed value.
Example at $100,000 taxable assessed value
$100,000 × about 3.78 ÷ 1,000 = $377.96
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 certified assessed value for tax year 2025, and the value when the tax is collected will differ. The question states a dollar amount (up to $4.9 million a year), not a mill rate. This is the added tax, not the total property tax bill.
Estimated annual increase
Enter a value of zero or more, with no more than two decimal places.
Weld County ballot, Weld County School District RE-8 ballot issue 5C
Voter Support So Far04
In November 2023, district voters turned down a $4 million annual override, 1,845 to 1,255 in unofficial results, along with a $70 million bond, the Fort Lupton Press reported. The district's page says the 2026 override is more targeted than the proposals voters did not approve in 2024. A survey the district commissioned from Beyond Your Base, mailed in May 2026 to all 5,521 registered voter households, drew 246 responses, a 5% response rate, with 53% of respondents for this override and 40% against; among likely voters, the firm reported 46% for.
A Proposed Oversight Committee05
In September the superintendent proposed a Mill Levy Oversight Committee of 8 to 13 members, drawn from residents, staff, students and the board, to review quarterly financial reports if voters approve the override. Under the proposal, the board keeps authority to change the committee's makeup and mandate.
