Manitou Springs voters will see major leadership changes on the ballot this fall, along with a tax increase affecting a handful of businesses meant to mitigate the city’s budget crisis.

Manitou Springs Mayor Pro Tem Natalie Johnson is running unopposed to replace outgoing Mayor John Graham, while candidates Nathan Nassif and Carey Storm are the sole candidates for City Council Wards 1 and 2, which have outgoing representatives.

Candidates Laura Breen and Gloria Latimer are running for Ward 3, where Michelle Whetherhult is the outgoing councilwoman.

Ballots for the November election went out on Oct. 10.

Mayoral election uncontested

The presumptive candidate for mayor, Johnson is the director of the Manitou Art Center and a former president of the District 14 School Board.

She said she expects a period of economic adjustment for Manitou Springs after losing revenue from marijuana sales.

When Colorado Springs approved recreational marijuana sales last year, the smaller city to the west lost significant sales at its two dispensaries due to new competition. The city has estimated its budget saw a 30% reduction.

“I think it’s going to take some creativity,” she said.

Johnson said her priorities for Manitou included wildfire and natural disaster mitigation. She said sorting out the city’s parking scheme, often crowded during the peak summer tourism season, also was a goal.

“The issue is that we are not moving them around properly,” she said of visitor’s vehicles.

Despite funding woes, Johnson said she thought the city’s water system was in a good place after infrastructure upgrades.

The city saw a rare water shortage earlier this year after high runoff overloaded Manitou’s treatment facility, with a backup pipeline owned by Colorado Springs Utilities offline at the time.

Johnson said that infrastructure improvements along Ruxton Avenue, a highly trafficked route to the Manitou Incline & Pikes Peak Cog Railway, had funding and a plan.

“It’s been phenomenal what we’ve been able to get done,” she said.

Johnson said she would like to help diversify Manitou Springs’ economy beyond the tourism industry to bolster offseason and full-time residents. She said a grocery store was a common request.

Still, Johnson said tourism remains the major economic driver in the city.

“We are a tourist community, and we need to know and embrace that,” she said.

Gloria Latimer, candidate for City Council Ward 3, has previously served on the city’s planning commission. She would also like to tackle traffic in Manitou. Latimer said she would like to see more efforts to stop speeding, like mobile trailer sensors. She said she wanted to increase the reliability of transit options from the city’s satellite parking lots.

“Traffic comes up as a No. 1 issue,” she said.

Latimer also said that she would be looking to identify nonessential services to help cut more of the city’s budget. She also supported diversifying Manitou’s economy.

“We’d like to see something other than businesses that are specifically designed for tourists,” she said.

Ward 3 candidate Laura Breen could not be reached for comment.

Excise tax increase

Manitou Springs voters are also being asked to decide whether to increase a specific tax on businesses that sell tickets to offset the budget shortfall.

The city is proposing a 9% increase on excise, or amusement, tax, which is currently set at 5% and last changed in the 1970s. The city says the increase would generate about $2.5 million. City Council would have the option to then raise or lower the tax within the range of 5%-14% without voter approval, if the ballot question passes.

Only a handful of businesses in Manitou Springs are affected by the excise tax, the owners of which have expressed opposition to the increase. The largest tax generator in the city is the Cog Railway. General Manager Ted Johnston said the tax could hurt tourism in the city known for its summer crowds.

“You’re going to drive people away,” he said.

City Council has endorsed the tax increase as the least financially painful solution to declining revenue from marijuana and the need to maintain essential services. In a recent meeting, Councilwoman Nancy Fortuin said the city had cut approximately $600,000 in expenses.