Legislative declaration - submission to voters - severability

(1) The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares that the extension of the sales and use taxes imposed pursuant to section 32-13-105 are extensions of expiring taxes subject to the provisions of section 20 (4)(a) of article X of the state constitution and are subject to voter approval; that the tax proceeds resulting from the taxes which the voters may be asked to extend are subject to the fiscal year spending limit of the Denver metropolitan scientific and cultural facilities district imposed by section 20 (7)(b) of said article X; that said constitutional provision limits the growth of district revenues by restricting the increase of fiscal year spending to the rate of inflation plus annual local growth; that the ballot questions specified in section 32-13-105 fully disclose to the voters that the amount of tax proceeds resulting from the taxes which they may be asked to extend will be subject to increase after the current fiscal year based upon the factors of inflation and annual local growth specified in section 20 (7)(b) of said article X; and that this disclosure in said ballot questions is for informational purposes only as the growth in the amount of tax proceeds is permitted to occur only at the rate permitted by section 20 (7)(b) of said article X. (2) The purpose of this article is to secure a dependable source of revenue to be used by the Denver metropolitan scientific and cultural facilities district to assist scientific and cultural facilities within said district as set forth in this article and to provide for a source of revenue which will grow in proportion to the expanding financial needs of scientific and cultural facilities. However, in the event that it is found by a court of competent jurisdiction that the provisions of section 20 of article X of the state constitution do not permit an extension of an expiring tax which incorporates such growth in revenues, the portions of the ballot questions set forth in section 32-13-105 which provide for an adjustment of permissible revenues based on inflation and annual local growth shall be deemed to be severable from the remainder of such ballot questions and that the valid portions of the ballot questions are not so essentially and inseparably connected with or dependent upon the invalid portions that the valid portions would not have been enacted without the invalid portions.