A consortium of mountain towns will push Colorado state lawmakers this year to pass a bill that would allow local governments to ask voters to tax homes that sit vacant most of the year.

Colorado has no municipalities that impose a tax on vacant homes, but the growing challenge of providing affordable housing for workers in mountain communities, where real estate prices are soaring and up to 40% of homes are not permanently occupied, is prompting creative thinking about new revenue streams.

“We’re not asking the Legislature to do this. This just clears out some potential minefields for communities that want to do this,” said Jonathan Godes, a Glenwood Springs councilman and president of the Colorado Association of Ski Towns (CAST), which is pushing for the legislation in the upcoming session.

CAST is asking its 28 resort members to support a bold legislative agenda this year. The group also hopes that lawmakers will pass legislation This allows local authorities to approve fees for each real estate transaction.

(There are 12 communities in the Western Slopes that impose real estate transfer taxes — ranging from 1% to 3% on all real estate transactions — that were enacted before the passage of the 1992 Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), which prevents new taxes without voter approval. These communities — Aspen, Avon, Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Frisco, Gypsum, Snowmass Village, Telluride, Vail and Winter Park — have had record revenues in recent years. while real estate prices are skyrocketing.)

Read more from Jason Blevins on ColoradoSun.com.