Petition Filed to Repeal West Greeley COP Funding Ordinance
On June 18, 2025, the City of Greeley received a notice circulate an initiative petition to repeal Ordinance No. 15, 2025, which authorized Certificates of Participation (COPs) for early work on the West Greeley Entertainment District. Greeley residents have the right to petition their government, a fundamental part of democracy.
This initiative (which is not a referendum) means that the ordinance will remain in effect during the signature-gathering and election process. The City intends to proceed with the legal and financial actions authorized by Ordinance No. 15, 2025, including lease-purchase agreements for pre-development activities, unless directed otherwise by the City Council.
Nothing about the initiative cancels or suspends those actions. As a result, the ordinance challenged by the initiative will remain in effect during the signature-gathering and election process.
Initiative vs. Referendum
This petition was filed as an initiative, not a referendum. Here’s why that distinction is important:
Referendum
- Must be filed within 30 days of a Council vote on an ordinance
Once filed, a referendum will stay enforcement of a newly passed ordinance before it takes effect, pending a public vote
Initiative
- Can be filed at any time and allows residents to propose a new law or repeal an existing one by collecting enough valid signatures to place an issue on a future election ballot.
- An initiated ordinance does stay any existing ordinance
Key Takeaways
The initiative cannot undo those actions. If the petition is successful, the initiated ordinance would go on the ballot for a public vote. However, Ordinance No. 15, 2025 would stay in effect. If the initiated ordinance were to pass in November, all legally binding contracts or financing agreements made before the election would remain valid.
The project is not paused. Ordinance No. 15, 2025 remains in effect, and the City can move forward with its implementation, including entering into binding lease-purchase agreements.
Clarifying Legal Process
Ordinance No. 15, 2025 was passed on May 6, 2025, after months of public meetings and council deliberation.
Over the past year, the City of Greeley and The Water Valley Company have engaged in multiple City Council work sessions, expert-led market and fiscal analyses, and more than 25 meetings with local stakeholders – from business owners and youth sports groups to housing advocates and neighboring property owners.
The City also hosted five large-scale community meetings to gather feedback and answer questions from the public, helping shape the project with input from hundreds of Greeley residents.
The current citizen-initiated petition does not prevent the ordinance from being implemented while the initiative process moves forward.
Timeline and Signature Requirements
A notice of intent to circulate an initiative petition was submitted to the City Clerk on June 18th. Pursuant to the process outlined in the Greeley Municipal Code, the City Clerk provided a petition form to the citizen proponents on June 27th.
Petitioners will have until August 6, 2025, to collect 4,586 valid signatures (10% of Greeley voters from the last general municipal election).
The August 6th deadline was set because the signatures must be submitted to the City Clerk no later than 90 days before the election.
FAQs: Community Questions & Clarifications
A group of Greeley residents has filed a petition asking voters to repeal Ordinance No. 15, 2025. This ordinance approved early financing to begin planning, design, and site preparation for the West Greeley Entertainment District—a major transit-oriented development spanning roughly 300 acres between Highway 34 and Highway 257. The project includes:
- A new 8,600-seat arena and ice center for youth hockey and to serve as the future home of the Colorado Eagles
- A water park hotel and conference center
- A public plaza featuring retail, dining, and commercial space
- Recreational amenities and connections to walking trails
- Plans to build approximately 6,000 housing units
- Supporting infrastructure, including new roads, utilities, and a regional transit hub
The petition is trying to stop the City from using a financing tool called Certificates of Participation (COPs) to cover about $115 million in early project costs. These costs include planning, design, legal work, and site preparation for construction, and will be repaid in approximately one year by the 501(c)(3) organization that will issue bonds for the project.
But it’s important to know:
- This petition was filed as an initiative, not a referendum.
- That means it does not pause or cancel the ordinance.
- Even if the petition gets on the ballot and passes, it won’t undo any agreements the City has already made including the lease of City facilities.
Both are tools citizen can use, but there are important differences. Here’s how they work:
Referendum
- Must be filed within 30 days of a Council vote
- Pauses or stops a new law from taking effect while voters decide
- Could have stopped the City from issuing Certificates of Participation to fund pre-development work
Initiative
- Can be filed at any time
- Does not pause or stop the law—it stays in effect until voters decide
- Does not stop the City from issuing Certificates of Participation or entering into associated lease agreements
No, the City is not selling anything. COPs are a tool cities use to borrow money without raising taxes.
Here’s how they work:
- The City temporarily “leases” public buildings (like City Hall) to a financial institution to secure a loan.
- The City keeps using the buildings as normal.
- Over time, the City makes lease payments using projected revenues––not new taxes.
- The City expects to be paid back in full by the 501(c)(3) before any lease payments are due.
- Once the loan is paid off, the lease ends and the City keeps full ownership of the public buildings.
- This tool has been used for many other projects in Greeley, including our local fire stations.
A moral obligation means the City agrees to consider adding money to a project reserve fund if needed. It’s not a legal debt and does not automatically require taxpayer funding.
The City expects to be paid back in full by the 501(c)(3) before any reserve, lease, or economic development payments are due.
- Over time, those payments will be reimbursed using project revenues.
- This structure helps lower borrowing costs by showing the City plans to act responsibly.
- If the project performs as expected, Greeley won’t need to add any money to the reserve.
- The City decides each year whether or not to contribute.
- This approach is common in public-private partnerships and has been used in other Colorado cities.
Yes, however, there are four school districts that currently provide services to students in the City of Greeley (Greeley School District 6, Windsor School District RE-4, Johnstown-Milliken School District RE-5J, and the Eaton School District RE-2). The area that will be developed in this project is located in the Windsor school district. The majority of new revenue goes directly to Greeley through:
- Local sales tax
- Hotel lodging tax
- Ticket surcharges
- Public Improvement Fees (PIFs) from retail and restaurants
These revenues fund Greeley’s roads, parks, police, and more—benefiting the entire city.
School district boundaries are set by the State of Colorado—not by the City. Changing them is a long and complex legal process. Instead, the City focused on whether the project would:
- Bring in new jobs and visitors
- Support housing and transit
- Improve public infrastructure
Boost the local economy
The City believes this project brings long-term benefits for all of Greeley, regardless of school boundaries.
A CBA is a formal deal between a developer and community groups that lays out promises like local hiring or donations. These are more common in big urban developments and places outside Colorado.
In this case:
- The City is already including public benefits like ice time, youth sports, recreation, and new roads directly in the project plan.
- Public meetings, budget rules, and transparency laws ensure the community stays involved.
More benefits may be added over time as the project moves forward.
Yes. Over the past year, the City has:
- Held 25+ meetings with residents, businesses, and community groups
- Hosted 5 open houses for public feedback
- Shared updates at City Council meetings
- Participated in events like the Greeley Stampede
- Created a project website with contact info, FAQs, and more
More community events and neighborhood meetings are planned for 2025 and 2026.
You can view the full financing FAQ online at: https://speakupgreeley.com/catalyst/widgets/102274/faqs