CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KOAA) — The Cañon City government is getting closer to deciding what to do with the millions of dollars in sales tax collected that were supposed to go to building a new pool in the city.
The original proposal fell through in 2025 after voters rejected an excise tax to help cover the pool's annual costs.
On Monday, city leaders heard citizen proposals and narrowed down what the more than $2 million could be spent on in the city.
Watch our previous coverage from when the pool project was tabled
One was circling back to the idea of a pool, but this one would be much smaller and outside, as opposed to the planned indoor facility, well within the budgetary constraints needed to maintain the pool moving forward.
A second proposal moving forward would be the Wester Gateway Project, which presented the idea of using the funds to create more recreation along the Cañon City Riverwalk, which will focus on working to create a sim beach, adventure hub, and oil creek ditch safety along Highway 50 near 1st Street.
The third project that will move forward is the idea to bring an incline to Cañon City. Much like the incline in Manitou Springs, this would climb up Skyline Ridge looking out over the city.
According to a post from Mayor Phil Lund, the next steps will be for City Council to narrow the proposition down to one plan on August 3; on August 17, ballot language will be adopted before it is proposed to voters for the November 3 general election.
When it comes to refunds on the sales tax it has collected, the city says it will work to get one of these ballot measure projects approved, but if voters do not approve the project that moves forward, the city will look at issuing refunds, despite the complexities that would require.
Information on how that process would work was not immediately shared.
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