If 2A and 6B hold, new Cañon City swimming pool may still be possible – Canon City Daily Record

If Fremont County ballot question 2A — which asked for a 0.30% sales tax increase for pool construction — and question 6B — which sought voter permission for the recreation district to incur debt to finance the pool bonds — pass, it could pave the way for the replacement of the R.C. Icabone Pool, said Kyle Horne, the executive director of the Cañon City Area Recreation and Park District.

However, the rec district would still need to determine how to cover the pool’s operating costs, as question 6A — which proposed a 4-mill property tax increase to fund pool operations — is expected to fail.

“If the aquatic facility were built, there would be a subsidy required (for operations), about $350,000 a year,” Horne said.

“Our budget runs extremely tight, we have very small margins,” Horne said. “So, there is no current financial capacity to subsidize the operations of the new pool. We would have to consider if we should go back to the voters to try to pass an operational mill levy to subsidize the pool.”

If both 2A and 6B are approved by voters, the first step is to schedule an intergovernmental meeting between the City of Cañon City and the rec district to discuss the possible pool replacement, Horne said.

“Decisions will be made quickly because the City of Cañon City and the rec district do have to certify budgets over the next five weeks, so it’s not like we have a lot of time to go through this,” he said.

City Administrator Ryan Stevens said if a pool is built, it will be the aquatic facility the community voted on: an indoor combination recreational and program pool and an outdoor leisure pool, with the recreational pool being available year-round.

“The voters voted for the 24.8 million option,” he said.

As of Wednesday evening, Question 2A received 53.47% approval, while Question 6B, received 50.42% approval. Question 6A received 48.31% approval.

There are more ballots to count, and it will take at least eight days to finish. Absentee ballot laws require all mailed ballots to reach the county elections office by the close of business on the eighth day after Election Day. Voters who need to verify the signature on their ballots have eight days from the mailing date of their notification letter to complete this step so their votes will be tabulated.

“There are approximately 300 to 500 ballots that could affect 6A and 6B’s results, but not enough to affect 2A,” said Fremont County Clerk and Recorder Justin Grantham in a press release. “The current results are not final.”

Before the R.C. Icabone Swimming Pool closed in May 2023 because of safety concerns, there were three failed ballot initiatives to either replace or repair the facility.