Among the many things Fort Collins has going for it is the willingness of residents to dig a little deeper when supporting city services through their tax dollars.

An opportunity to do that again could come as soon as the April 2 municipal election, when city officials will likely ask voters to extend the Keep Fort Collins Great, or KFCG, sales tax.

The 0.85 percent tax, which voters approved in 2010, is scheduled to expire at the end of 2020. The tax brings in about $28 million a year that goes directly into services.

The current split is 33 percent for streets; 17 percent for transportation; 17 percent for police; 11 percent for fire; 11 percent of parks and recreation; and 11 percent for other community priorities as determined by City Council.

Council and staff members are still working out exactly what to ask voters for through an extension, including whether to make a portion of the KFCG tax part of the city’s permanent base sales tax rate.

Details of the city’s proposal are expected to be firmed up early next year. There's still time for residents to get involved in the conversation about how the tax program should be structured through the city website ourcity.fcgov.com/KFCG.

While withholding judgement on any potential tax question until its language is clear, the Coloradoan Editorial Board supports the broad KFCG program and appreciates the services and staffing its revenue has provided over the years.

Extending the tax in some form makes sense if residents want continued funding for core operations. Without a dedicated revenue stream, funding would have to come from the general fund at the expense of something else. Or, the services would have to go away.

KFCG has funded 12 full-time firefighting positions with Poudre Fire Authority since 2011 as well as positions and specialized units within Fort Collins Police Services. Do we really want to cut those positions as the city continues to grow?

While local voters are known to support tax increases, recent elections have shown voters statewide are not as accommodating. Tax increases requiring voter approval are about as popular in Colorado as mosquitoes at picnics.

Close to home, it’s a different story. Perhaps it’s a matter of trust; perhaps its recognition of the community’s shared values; perhaps its persuasive arguments from campaign committees.

In any case, Fort Collins voters have a history of backing taxes dedicated to specific purposes. The city has three 0.25 percent sales taxes with revenue earmarked for open space, street maintenance and capital improvement projects.

The availability of voter-approved funding has made a huge difference in keeping Fort Collins highly functional and attractive.

Voters approved KFCG after enduring years of cuts to city services amid fallout from the Great Recession. It was considered a way to restore things that were lost even as some city officials and residents cautioned that using short-term taxes to fund critical operations would not be sustainable.

That’s still the case. City Council and voters should consider adding portions of KFCG to the city’s base rate as part of the next election. Among proposals the city is still weighing is whether to ask voters to make 0.6 percentage points of the 0.85 percent KFCG tax permanent.

The city's current base sales tax rate is 2.25 percent: It hasn’t changed since 1982. There's a lot to be said for having tax revenue earmarked for police and fire services, for example, as long as the dedication is not overly prescriptive.

The community does not need to be repeatedly asked whether it wants to support police and fire services. Clearly, we do.

However, we do want to be asked about the remaining 0.25 percent tax, or whatever it turns out to be, and how it should be used. A 10-year renewal cycle, as is done with the city's other dedicated taxes, would be appropriate.

Fort Collins has its challenges, especially in the face of ongoing growth, but it is still a great place to live, work, play, raise a family, and run a business.

Residents are understandably willing to do their best to keep it that way by supporting the city it with their tax dollars.

This is the view of the Coloradoan editorial board, written this week by columnist Kevin Duggan. The board meets weekly to set the topic and direction of the Coloradoan's Sunday editorials. News reporters are not involved in the editorial board process.