The future direction of two congested and high-traffic intersections on U.S. 34 in Greeley will be clearer this week with the results of two connected ballot measures in front of the city’s voters.
Ballot issues 2L and 2M passed together would lead to new U.S. 34 interchanges at 35th and 47th avenues designed to improve safety, reduce crashes and minimize congestion.
Both measures were approved by voters, coming in with comfortable leads from early results dropped Tuesday night. The 2L measure stood at 64.4% as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, and 2M received 67.7% in favor.
The 2M issue is also known as the debt issuance measure, and this item asks voters to approve taking on $65 million of debt for total repayment of $110 million to fund transportation projects including the new U.S. 34 interchanges. The issue also includes expanding Greeley’s regional bus and mobility options to Centerra, Denver and Denver International Airport.
The $65 million will be borrowed through a low-interest, 2% federally financed loan. The city plans to repay the debt by 2035 in part through approval of the continuation of the food tax under ballot issue 2L. The tax was originally approved by voters in 1990.
This year, the measure asks if the 3% sales tax on food should be extended indefinitely for the purpose of funding the financing or refinancing of city capital improvement projects for streets, parks, recreational facilities and public buildings.
The tax was previously renewed by voters every five years, generating an estimated $11 million according to the city.
The Greeley City Council in August approved the 2L and 2M issues for the ballot this year.
“The interchanges are two of the most dangerous interchanges in the state,” City Councilman Tommy Butler said. “They are not safe intersections to cross. As a growing city, if we don’t get these done, we’ll have worse traffic over time.”
There has been some opposition to continuing 2L. Greeley resident Brandon Wark is a leader of ending the food tax movement, writing it’s unethical on a website he founded called Free State Colorado.
Wark is also the administrator of a public Facebook group called Stop the Food Tax in Greeley! The message of the Facebook group is groceries are too expensive and Greeley needs relief.
“Hardworking families are struggling to pay their bills,” the page said. “Food is something everyone needs and it’s not right for the city to keep the price of food high!”
Eligible low-income city residents may apply for a food tax rebate. More information is available on the city’s website, greeleygov.com.
Soon after the council’s decision, a volunteer citizens’ committee of about eight people formed to advocate for passage of the ballot issues. Citizens for Driving Greeley were behind the campaign to get the word out on 2L and 2M.
Butler said he didn’t want to speculate on if the issues will pass. Butler said information before the campaign began showed the results would be tight.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if either or both are close,” Butler added.
Longtime Greeley resident Julie Jensen is a co-chair of the Citizens for Driving Greeley Committee. Jensen, CEO of the Greeley Area Realtor Association, has lived in Greeley for more than 30 years, and she’s been an active member of the community through her work with the Greeley Stampede and the city’s Rodarte Community Center.
Jensen said the continuation of the food tax over the past 34 years has allowed for the growth and improvement of city facilities such as the Rodarte Center, the IceHaus, the Family FunPlex and parks.
The population growth of the Greeley area since 1990 and the anticipated future growth means transportation infrastructure must be developed and maintained, she added.
“I can live and play and work in my community,” Jensen said. “Growth is coming, and you can’t stop growth. If we can deal with it, and do it in the best possible way and try to meet those needs. We’re not immune to being behind on transportation. And with what looks to be the population in 30 years, we have to get going on some of those interchanges.”
Greeley’s population was about 61,000 in 1990 when the food tax was first approved. The population was 112,000 in 2023, according to U.S. Census data.
The city projects a population of more than 135,00 residents by 2032 and more than 200,000 about 20 years later.
Greeley Mayor John Gates said if 2L passes and 2M fails, there are plenty of uses for food tax money with facilities in the city.
Gates said passage of 2M and the failure of 2L would lead to a couple of scenarios for city leaders to consider:
- Re-introduce the 2L ballot issue in November 2025 because the tax does not expire until Dec. 31, 2026; or
- Consider applying for federal financing now to fund the transportation projects.
Gates said the city has “a chunk of money,” about $30 million, in the bank to contribute to the needed interchange projects. The funds remain from a voter-approved tax in 2019 when city leaders thought the cost of the projects would be split with the Colorado Department of Transportation.
CDOT leaders in Denver have since rearranged priorities, bumped the interchange work down on its list and and “left us holding the bag,” Gates said.
“Region 4 (the CDOT geographic area including Greeley and Weld County), they’ve been a pleasure to deal with and that has caused us to go back and get financing to finish the job,” the mayor added.
Gates said work is in progress and more than half-way complete on the 5-year design phase on the interchanges. Actual construction could be slowed depending on the outcome of the ballot issues.
