"When we replace Griffin, we will not be able to fix the sidewalks because the funds will not allow for that," Councilwoman Amy Schmisseur said in August 2025, on the night City Council approved ballot language to renew Cañon City's 2A street tax. She also said the public should know that some of the streets most in need of repair hadn't been prioritized under 2A because the city couldn't fix the infrastructure underneath them.
Her point explains the year of detours on North 9th Street, and it predicts which streets come next. The money voters set aside can only be spent on streets. When a street sits on top of old water lines, its rebuild usually waits until a second source of money can pay for the pipes.
This week's paving finishes a funding pairing
The City of Cañon City expected final paving on North 9th during the week of October 5, with the whole project on track for completion by October 14, 2026. The last full closure, between Oak Avenue and Candlewood Drive, began September 23, and the city expected the final water main and service connections to be finished by September 25. As of this writing, the city hadn't posted anything that changed those dates.
KRDO reported that the work covered two miles of 9th Street north of downtown and was really two projects. The first began late last year on a half-mile between Washington Street and Meadows Avenue. That stretch was in poor shape from earlier excavations, so crews widened and rebuilt it and put in sidewalks for the first time. The second project was the harder one. It replaced a water main running through a residential neighborhood between Floral and Harding Avenues, then repaved over the new line. That work started in May 2026.
The city's May 2025 budget for the Mystic-to-Meadows section shows why the water segment could happen at all. Four sources pay for it:
- 2A street funds: $5,510,036
- Drinking Water Revolving Fund: $1,489,804
- General Fund: $500,000
- Stormwater: $200,000
The street tax paid for the street, and a separate water fund paid for the pipe. By August 2026 the city listed that section's awarded contract at $4.83 million and noted that the total project cost includes money from outside 2A.
The work also uncovered some deep history. KRDO reported that crews working along the route found a dinosaur vertebra. The report included a museum age estimate of roughly 65 million to 70 million years old, along with praise for crews for taking the neighborhood's old flooding problems into account during repaving. Along the Washington-to-Meadows stretch, slower traffic led JR's Food Store to close two hours early. Its manager told KRDO that business from the contractors made up for some of the loss, and that "9th Street is very nice to drive on now."
The rule voters chose to keep
In August 2025 the council had two versions of the renewal to choose from. "Status Quo" kept 2A money limited strictly to street expenses. "Expanded Use" would also have covered water and stormwater upgrades made necessary by a street project. Staff recommended Status Quo, based on feedback from members of the original Citizens for Better Streets committee, and the council approved it unanimously.
"Every member that reached back out to us mentioned how important it was to keep that money specifically designated for streets." City Administrator Ryan Stevens, as reported by the Cañon City Daily Record
On November 4, 2025, voters approved Issue 2A by 3,767 to 1,881, according to final Fremont County results. The measure keeps the 1% sales and use tax through December 31, 2036, with no new tax and no rate increase. It requires that the money be spent only on street-related infrastructure, prioritized under the city's adopted 10-year Pavement Management Plan, and it bars using the money for city personnel or equipment. Voters kept the same guardrail that already shaped North 9th, and it now runs another ten years.
What a decade of street-only money changed
The city's August 6, 2026 annual update, presented to the council's Finance, Budget, and Public Works Committee, reports these totals for 2A since 2017:
- 40 roadway projects completed
- $30.1 million in total street investment
- 17.23 centerline miles improved
- 94,850 tons of asphalt placed
The more telling figure is the citywide Pavement Condition Index. It was 36 in 2016 and 67 in 2025. The same deck compares agencies across Colorado. Colorado Springs reported a 58 for 2026 and Pueblo a 62 for 2024. Cañon City's network, once in poor shape, now rates better than both of its larger neighbors. Streets that only needed paving got done. The ones with problems underground are what's left, and those take a funding partner.
The 2027 list, sorted by what lies underneath
College Avenue and Harding Avenue show how this plays out. The city's May 2025 plan listed both in design, with College targeted for construction in 2025 and Harding in 2026, and it paired each with Drinking Water Revolving Fund money. The August 2026 update moves them to 2027 as "shelf projects," the remaining work from the original 2A program. Two smaller jobs on the south side join them.
| 2027 shelf project | Limits | Planned work | Engineer estimate | Includes non-2A money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| College Avenue | 9th St to 15th St | Spot curb and gutter, inlay | $4.46M | Yes |
| South 12th Street | Park Ave to Sherman Ave | Full-depth reclamation, curb and gutter, sidewalks | $0.60M | No |
| Sherman Avenue | S. 12th St to city limits | Full-depth reclamation, curb and gutter, sidewalks | $0.79M | Yes |
| Harding Avenue | 5th St to 9th St | Spot curb and gutter, inlay | $2.16M | Yes |
Together the four projects are estimated at $8.01 million. Of that, the deck lists $5.9 million from 2A, $1.8 million from the Drinking Water Revolving Fund and $0.3 million from Water CapX. That is about the same share of water money that went into North 9th. Three of the four projects carry the deck's mark for funding from outside 2A, which suggests the same kind of street-and-pipe pairing is planned again.
The renewed tax also starts paying for something new. The first year of the 10-year Pavement Management Plan adds about $6 million in chip seal, overlay and reconstruction work, covering 3.2 miles. The deck funds that with $5.5 million from 2A and $0.5 million from the General Fund. With the shelf projects, the planned 2027 program comes to $14 million and 5.14 miles.
Griffin Avenue, the example from that council debate
Griffin Avenue between South 4th and South 9th is the street Schmisseur named in 2025. The August deck counts it among the three projects in the 2026 program, with reconstruction that includes curb, gutter and sidewalk work. The May 2025 presentation priced it at $5,430,568, with $4,011,021 from 2A and $1,419,547 from the Drinking Water Revolving Fund, and noted that storm sewer, a railroad crossing, irrigation impacts and full sidewalk work drove much of the cost. One option it offered was to proceed with the water main replacement on Griffin to satisfy the water fund and put off the rest of the work until more money could be secured. In that option, the pipe work goes first and the street waits for its own funding. The sources reviewed here don't give a construction start date for Griffin.
What stays open until the committee decides
The 2027 list is a set of staff recommendations, not a final schedule. Staff proposed building the shelf projects through traditional design, bid and build contracts. They also proposed hiring outside engineering firms for construction management and water inspection, because the deck says the city doesn't have enough staff to cover all the projects. A third recommendation would bundle the remaining Pavement Management Plan work into a single design-build contract, with a possible extension through 2028 and 2029 if performance targets are met. The deck notes that design-build was used in the first year or two of the original 2A program "with some controversy." It asks the committee for direction on the project list, on contracted management and on whether to update the pavement plan in 2028 or at another time.
That means the streets named for 2027 can still change. What is already set is the voter-approved rule through 2036: 2A pays for the street, and any pipe underneath needs its own funding.
If you live on College, Harding, Sherman or South 12th and want to know how your home stands before construction starts, Gold District Realty knows these blocks well and can show you what nearby homes have sold for. Start with an instant property valuation, and Ruthie will follow up with the local details.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
