Arapahoe County voters last week bucked the anti-tax trend that was popular during Tuesday's off-year election, overwhelmingly supporting a sales-and-use tax that brings $18 million to the county every year for trails, open space and parks.

"People have seen the value of what we do," said Ellen Belef, chair of the Yes on 1A campaign.

Elsewhere around Colorado, almost every ballot issue to raise taxes was defeated, including the statewide Proposition 103 that asked voters to approve raising the state income tax and sales tax to support K-12 education.

In Aurora, a ballot proposal to fund community recreation centers also failed but not the reinstatement of the trails, parks and open-space tax that was created in 2003 and is relatively small — 25 cents on a $100 purchase. The tax was due to sunset after 10 years. Roughly 62 percent of voters approved its reinstatement.

Supporters believe that its approval was probably because it was a reinstatement, not a new tax. And that its benefits are so obvious — acquisition of land and improvements along the South Platte Trail, purchase of open space and money for cities in the county. Fifty percent of the revenue is returned to cities and towns based upon population to be used to enhance their parks, trails and open space.

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