Last but not least: Pitkin County commissioners approve child care funding tax

Pitkin County commissioners on Wednesday heard from the Confluence Early Childhood Education Coalition about a potential November ballot initiative.

The initiative would raise as much as $10 million for childcare support by enacting an Aspen-to-Parachute .25% sales tax increase on some goods within a newly created Early Childhood Development and Education Special District. The tax would not apply to home consumption, medicine and medical equipment, diapers, and feminine hygiene supplies.

“For many working families, childcare is the largest expense each month, often exceeding the cost of housing or even college tuition,” Aspen School District Preschool Director Leslie Bixel said during the meeting.

CECE is hoping to lower that cost significantly by using the $10 million from the tax to fund various child care assistance. That money will provide tuition assistance, improvement of capacity and quality of care programs, and will help decrease the price of care facilities, among other goals. 

Getting approval from the board of commissioners at Garfield, Eagle, and Pitkin county was the first in a series of steps to get the initiative on the ballot. Garfield and Eagle counties approved the measure on March 17 and March 25, respectively. 

The CECE now needs to deliberate internally about whether it would like to aim for the November 2025 election or aim for the November 2026 election, after which it will begin getting voter signatures.