Denver citizens deserve realistic and objective information about trash and sidewalk programs before being charged new fees in perpetuity. To achieve this, FeeTransparency.org will start a ballot measure to require the City to do the following:
1) Pause the fees for trash and sidewalk programs and revert to funding them funding them through the General Fund and/or General Obligation bonds.
2) Hire an independent, objective expert to provide realistic financial forecasts for fully loaded costs, revenues, rates, levels of service, and delivery options so that citizens know what to expect. Share the report publicly and hold public input sessions.
3) Create a new ballot measure for voters to decide if they want fee-based sidewalk and trash programs based on the realistic and objective cost and rate information from the expert report.
The independent expert’s report will include:
- An executive summary that is easy for the public and non-experts to understand.
- 10-year financial forecasts showing key assumptions, all sources and uses of cash, and estimated future rate increases, with fully loaded cost assumptions (including operating, capital, debt service, and indirect costs).
- Source, amount, timing, and duration of any program subsidies (both cash and non-cash) from other funds. The impact on rates once those subsidies are removed.
- Realistic timeframes for the delivery of program services. There shall be no open-ended time frames (i.e., “as soon as practicable”).
- Program delivery options (in-house, alternative delivery, privatized, etc.) and explanations of how they impact rates.
- Source of funding for and costs to administer affordability programs for low-income citizens
- Debt financing plans and impact on ratepayers
- Private sector alternatives and their costs, if applicable
- Public input sessions for citizens to participate in the report process