Limon Grand Plan

Frequently Asked Questions?

  • What is the Limon Grand Plan?

The Grand Plan is a local planning effort designed to prioritize and fund projects identified by Limon’s citizens in both the Updated Comprehensive Plan and the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design™ Workshop (CIRD). This planning effort resulted from a request by the group of grant funding organizations, both governmental and non-profit foundations, which participated in the CIRD Workshop. These funders requested the Limon community to further prioritize the community projects and present a “Grand Plan” to an even larger group of funders to be hosted by Boettcher Foundation.

  • Who sponsors Limon’s Grand Plan?

The Town of Limon is funding the planning process with implementation of the Grand Plan based on available Town funding, governmental grants, non-profit grants, and perhaps new revenues.

  • Who are the local partners?

As with the CIRD Workshop, the local partners in the Grand Plan process include representatives from the Town of Limon, Limon Chamber of Commerce, Limon FFA, Lincoln County Economic Development Corporation, Limon Heritage Society and Lincoln County Tourism Board.

  • What types of projects will be considered for funding and implementation?

Projects being considered include ideas that were supported by the community during both the updating of the Limon Comprehensive Plan and CIRD Workshop. At least initially projects considered for inclusion in the Grand Plan were divided into five categories: Operation Needs, Economic and Community Development, New Recreation Facilities, New Facilities and Improving Existing Parks, Recreation and Heritage Facilities.

Ultimately, the Grand Plan projects will be identified through a public process evaluating: the potential economic, health and safety and general quality of life benefits and by available funding.

  • What are Operational Needs?

These are projects or ongoing operational needs that are associated with current functions of the Town including Limon Ambulance Service, Limon Memorial Library, Limon Municipal Airport as well as the operation and maintenance of new or expanded facilities and programs across other categories. Operation Needs recognize the importance of operating, maintaining and expanding programs within core operations of the Town and that new facilities and programs require additional funding associated with operation and maintenance.

  • What is Economic and Community Development?

Developing a rural community and economy is often a balancing act of creating jobs and having adequate housing and infrastructure to succeed. Ideas including in the Economic and Community Development category include Broadband, Financial or Infrastructure Incentives, Housing Incentives, Local Business Assistance and Non-Profit Assistance. This funding would be available to support economic and community development as determined by the Board of Trustees, including incentives, infrastructure development, grants and stipends.

  • What are New Recreational Facilities?

This category considers new facilities such as Dog Park, Pool and Bathhouse, Splash Park, Recreation Center, or a Center that could include Community Meeting Space. These are significant projects that not only require funding to construct but to operate and maintain.

  • What are New Facilities?

This is a second category of possible new facilities that have been recommended through the Comprehensive Planning Process or Community Meetings. This might include an Indoor Theater for plays, music, events, etc., an Outdoor Amphitheater, Community Building Addition, the Eastern Colorado Veterans War Memorial, a Tourism Visitor Center and Emergency Access To/From South Limon.

  • What are the possibilities for Improving Existing Parks, Recreation and Heritage Facilities?

This category would include funding for the continuing viability and upgrades to the trail system, Doug Kissel Fishing Pond and Wetlands, Tamarack Golf Course, Limon Heritage Museum, Lincoln Theatre, Railroad Park, Smith Baseball Field, Softball Fields and the South Limon Park.

  • That is a lot of projects. Where does the funding come from?

The answer to this question is what will describe how “Grand” the plan shall be. Everything in this plan comes with a cost. A small number of the projects could be completed using existing Town resources. Another group of projects may be eligible for funding from the John Rohr Legacy Fund which allows funding for recreation, ambulance and library. Some projects might be eligible for grants but those grants require a local match. Without a new revenue source, the majority of the projects being considered for inclusion in the Grand Plan cannot be implemented. At the first Community Meeting (April 17, 2017), Sales Tax was presented as a possible source of new revenue.

  • Why Sales Tax?

1% of Sales Tax in Limon raises approximately $500,000 per year. Between 80-90% of the sales tax collected in Limon is collected from visitors to Limon. If each Limon household spends $1,000 a month on Taxable Retail Sales per month in Limon that would account for only 20% of the sales tax collection annually by the Town of Limon. In order to determine what a new sales tax would cost you personally you will need to track your taxable retail purchases made in Limon each month.

  • Why is the Town of Limon trying to raise taxes?

The Town of Limon or any other entity in Colorado cannot increase any type of taxes without a vote of the citizens. The role of the Town of Limon is to provide its citizens the process to determine the investments that the community wishes to make and alternatives for paying for those investments. The Town has to maintain its existing operations while costs grow by inflation and continually hears calls for upgrades to existing operations and facilities and new projects and operations. At the end of this process, based on community input at community meetings, a decision will be made as to what priority projects will be included in the final Grand Plan and how to pay for those projects. This may include a ballot question addressing a new revenue source. The number of projects and needed revenue source will be arrived at during the community meetings.

  • What are the expected outcomes of this process?

The community will have identified a set of priority projects and funding sources to pay for both the initial costs and long-term operation and maintenance of these projects. These priority projects will be included in the Grand Plan that will be presented to a meeting of governmental and non-profit grant providers. This statewide funders group will identify which projects they would be interested in providing funding.

  • How will Limon’s citizens identify the priority projects and determine how to pay for those projects?

About 80 citizens met in April 17, 2017 and the individual projects were considered in terms of economic effects, community health and safety, quality of life and potential concerns or threats. These results are available here.

On June 15, 2017, the Town of Limon will hold a second Community Meeting at the Warren Mitchell Events Center where each project will be presented along with estimated costs, estimated existing funding, estimated grant opportunities and new revenue needs. Using electronic polling, meeting participants will be able to express their level of support for the project in general and willingness to support new revenue in support of each project.

After each project is evaluated, based in the level of support for each project, a prioritized list of projects will be displayed and again the participants will be polled as to their level of support for how many projects and what level of new total revenue they would like to consider in an election.

  • How can I be involved in the Grand Plan process?

The next opportunity will be at the Community Meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 15, 2017 at Warren Mitchell Events Center in Limon Public Schools from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

  • If I want to participate or have questions, who should I contact?

For more information or to have any questions you may have about the process please contact Joe Kiely, Assistant Town Manager, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Dave Stone, Town Manager, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Both Joe and Dave can be reached at the Limon Town Hall, (719)775-2346.