This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Video: Full discussion of the food tax issue by City Staff and City Council.
Longmont collects 3.53% sales tax on grocery food sales. Many cities in Colorado, approximately 40, do not.
Led by local residents Paul Tiger and Sarah Levison, a citizen's group recently put forth a local effort to 'Untax Food'. Their effort was to get a petition signed in order to put the issue on the November ballot.
Their deadline for collecting signatures ended on July 20. They were unable to collect the almost 6,000 signatures required.
According to Jim Golden, the City of Longmont's CFO, the lost revenue to the city by repealing the 3.53% food tax would be $9.41 million dollars. The presentation given to the City Council is embedded below.
Instead of repealing the food tax, the city proposed a rebate program of approximately $100,000 for elderly, disabled and low-income residents.
The council voted 5-2 to support the rebate program. Marcia Martin, Tim Waters, Brian Bagley, Bonnie Finely and Polly Christensen voted for the rebate program.
Aren Rodriguez and Joan Peck dissented.
