Aurora sends Build Up Aurora bond and tax measures to Nov. 3, 2026 ballot

Aurora City Council has completed its referral of the “Build Up Aurora” capital package to the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot, sending voters three separate bond-and-tax questions covering transportation infrastructure, public safety facilities, and community facilities.

Council approved the referral in two steps: a first reading at its June 8 regular meeting and a final reading at its June 22 regular meeting. If you’re deciding whether to support all (or only some) of the measures, the city’s Build Up Aurora materials include the official ballot questions and project lists.

What Aurora is asking voters to approve

Build Up Aurora is structured as three ballot questions. Each question would authorize the city to issue revenue bonds and increase sales and use tax rates to fund capital improvements in three categories.

The city’s Build Up Aurora materials describe the categories as: transportation infrastructure, public safety, and community facilities.

How the proposed taxes and bond amounts break down

The city describes a proposed total sales and use tax increase of 0.325%, split across the three ballot categories.

• Transportation Infrastructure: 0.132% sales and use tax, backed by estimated bond principal of $107,475,000 (estimated total repayment cost: $209,733,000).
• Public Safety: 0.064% sales and use tax, backed by estimated bond principal of $52,065,000 (estimated total repayment cost: $101,600,000).
• Community Facilities: 0.129% sales and use tax, backed by estimated bond principal of $104,975,000 (estimated total repayment cost: $204,870,000).

Public safety measure: the tax timeline and capital list

For public safety, Colorado Public Radio reports that the ballot question would impose a new 0.064% tax beginning Jan. 1, 2027, through Dec. 31, 2057, to fund $52 million in capital improvements.

In the city’s Build Up Aurora project descriptions, the public safety category includes items such as:

• Police station facility capital improvements totaling $8,500,000, including improvements for Stations 1 North, 2 Central and 3 South.
• Aurora911 facility capital improvements totaling $2,000,000.
• Fire station projects, including $13,700,000 for Fire Station 19 construction, $8,020,000 for Fire Station 2 renovation, and $10,000,000 for Fire Station 3 renovation.

Sentinel Colorado also reported that, during the council meeting, some speakers opposed the public safety measure in part over concerns about police-facility funding and oversight of bond spending.

What to check before Election Day

Because Build Up Aurora has three separate questions, residents may want to review each category on its own:

• Start with the city’s “Build Up Aurora” page for the project summaries tied to transportation, public safety, and community facilities.
• Use the eSCRIBE agenda materials that include the Build Up Aurora ballot-language ordinances submitted for the Nov. 3, 2026 election (ordinances listed as 2026-28, 2026-29, and 2026-30).
• Pay attention to the proposed tax category you’re voting on—each question carries a different sales-and-use tax rate.

Sources

• City of Aurora — Build Up Aurora
• Colorado Public Radio — reporting on the public safety ballot measure
• Sentinel Colorado — last-minute criticism and council action context