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DENVER -- Colorado made history for rejecting the 1976 Olympic Games but this time around there's another push to take the decision to the people, specifically when it comes to funding.
"A vote of the people, that’s what this is about. A vote of the people to decide if they want to invest financial resources personnel, all sorts of our precious resources into this effort," said Christine O'Connor.
O'Connor joined other opponents as they sat down with city staff to answer questions about their proposed ballot initiative. A group calling itself "NOlympics" is hoping to bring the measure before Denver voters this fall. It would require voters to approve any use of resources or financial guarantees in connection with hosting the Olympic Games.
The group behind the initiative would still have to collect around 5,000 signatures for the measure to appear on the ballot but before that happens the draft ordinance has to be reviewed.
It's still unclear if Colorado will submit a bid. In an update from the Exploratory Committee, a recommendation will be finalized in mid-May and presented to the public sometime in late May or early June.
"The Exploratory Committee has not yet made a recommendation to Mayor Hancock and Governor Hickenlooper, and the U.S. Olympic Committee has not formally entered into a Winter Games bid process. It is important to note that the Exploratory Committee has stated repeatedly that it understands that taxpayers in Colorado do not want to incur debt from an event such as the Olympic Games, and the financial plan that is being researched would not require any state or local governmental subsidies or financial guarantees."
