Douglas Bruce claims the city of Colorado Springs illegally promoted its April 7 ballot measures by telling citizens it’s strapped for cash.

The anti-tax protester filed a complaint with the Secretary of State’s Office Friday, alleging violations of campaign-finance laws which bar the city from spending public money to promote or oppose a ballot measure.

The law does allow the city to provide factual information upon request, and it lets elected officials spend up to $50 on letters, phone calls and other activities expressing an opinion.

Bruce’s complaint concerns an e-mail the Police Department sent to Neighborhood Watch groups outlining the city’s precarious budget situation, which required roughly $14 million in cuts from the 2009 budget because of falling sales-tax revenue.

The e-mail, approved by City Manager Penelope Culbreth-Graft, was sent Wednesday, the day after ballots were mailed to voters.

The e-mail didn’t mention the ballot measures, which include a property-tax issue, but it said, “Until the general fund becomes less reliant on variable sales tax, services are at risk year to year.”

“It was obviously sent to portray the city as financially needy and to justify these requests for more money,” Bruce said in his complaint. “To pervert the Neighborhood Watch program into a political weapon and protection racket is despicable.”

City spokeswoman Sue Skiffington-Blumberg said the e-mail has been widely dispersed to employees and organizations “who are trying to understand what the impact is from the 2009 budget reductions.”

“They have absolutely nothing to do with any of the issues on the ballot,” she added.

“They have everything to do with the factual nature of our budget cuts and constraints.”

Bruce has asked for a hearing within 10 days.

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Call Zubeck at 636-0238

First lady Michelle Obama, accompanied by students from Washington’s Bancroft Elementary School, broke ground today for the White House Kitchen Garden, on the South Lawn of the White House. Photo by The Associated Press