The only ballot measure specific to Summit County in the general election passed Nov. 4. Summit Daily News called the race around 9:45 p.m. with results at roughly 90% yes and 10% no.

Ballot Measure 1A will allow the Summit Board of County Commissioners to use funds from the existing 2% tax on short-term lodging in unincorporated Summit County on road and bridge projects.

The measure will not raise the lodging tax, though the bill passed by the Colorado legislature in May that allows for county lodging tax funds to be used for road maintenance also allows counties to increase the tax from 2% to 6%. The commissioners decided not to include a raise when they voted in September to put the measure on the November ballot.

The commissioners showed support for the measure since placing it on the ballot, drafting an opinion article asking voters to support it at the end of October.

In previous Summit Daily reporting, commissioner Tamara Pogue said putting lodging tax revenue toward roads and bridges would not fix the county’s problems, but it would “move the needle” on an issue constituents have asked the board to address.

The lodging tax, first passed in 2022, raises funds for child care and housing. Colorado requires the county to spend 10% of the money on tourism education, but the commissioners choose how to split the rest of the money among the approved uses.

The commissioners did not make decisions prior to election night about how much of the around $2.6 million the lodging tax is expected to collect in 2026 could be spent on roads and bridges. 

Pogue said the county has reserves in its Strong Future and Right Start funds, which both contribute to child care funding and could help backfill funding lost to road and bridge. She said the county built up reserves in those funds to build a child care center, but the need for the project has decreased since two new centers have opened in the county in recent years.

Commissioner Nina Waters said the rising costs of labor and materials for road construction also influenced the commissioners to propose and support the ballot measure. She added that it made sense to use lodging tax revenues on roads because visitors pay those taxes and create extra wear and tear on county roads.

County finance director David Reynolds said in September that the county’s 2026 asphalt capital project budget had a deficit of about $1.2 million. He said that $1.2 million could be covered with about 45% of the lodging tax revenue.

Summit County engineer Alice Gustafson spoke to the board in August about the proposed 2026 asphalt capital project budget, outlining a plan that included $6 million for Swan Mountain Road reconstruction, $1.75 million for a section of Baldy Road in Breckenridge and $1.6 million for three roads in Copper Mountain. It totaled about $9.3 million.

Jim Benkelman, a road and bridge asset technician, also spoke at that meeting and said the county spent $1.75 million to $2 million on roads per year for several years, prioritizing certain roads over others and causing the county’s overall condition index score to drop.