The city of Denver has had a simple message about its $950 million infrastructure proposal: It won’t raise taxes.

And that’s true. If voters approve the Vibrant Denver package this November, the city’s property taxes wouldn’t change a bit.

That’s because the city can afford to pay for the proposed debt service with its existing property tax revenues.

But what exactly would happen if voters said “no” to the new spending? Could taxes be lowered instead? Or maybe the money could be spent elsewhere?

These are questions we’ve heard a few times, especially since the city is pushing the bond proposal at the same time it’s facing a $250 million budget crisis.

To answer, you have to start with the taxes that would pay for the new debt.

Over the years, Denver voters have approved 6.5 mills of

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