Aurora’s campaign finance contributions limits will go up on Tuesday following a city code mandate. 

The Aurora City Clerk’s Office adjusted the limits, which apply to any person, political committee, nonmunicipal political organization and small donor committee contributing to a candidate committee or recall defense committee. 

Currently, a person, political committee or nonmunicipal political organization may not make aggregate contributions to a candidate committee or recall defense committee over $400 to any one candidate in any one ward race or over $1,000 to any one candidate in any at-large or mayoral race. 

On Aug. 1, the limits will change to $450 to any one candidate in any one ward race or $1,150 to any one candidate in any at-large or mayoral race.

A small donor committee is limited to aggregate contributions to a candidate committee or recall defense committee of $4,000 to any one candidate in any one ward race or $10,000 to any one candidate in any at-large or mayoral race. 

On Aug. 1, these limits will change to $4,500 to any one candidate in any one ward race or $11,500 to any one candidate in any at-large or mayoral race. 

The adjustments are required in Aurora City Code Section 54-105(d), meaning the City Clerk has to adjust contribution limits by an amount calculated by the Colorado Secretary of State as prescribed in the Colorado Constitution. 

City Code Section 54-105 is the result of a measure passed by City Council in 2020, sponsored by councilmember Juan Marcano, meant to shift financial limits as inflation makes campaigning more costly. 

“It was meant to keep up with the CPI, since the cost of printing and labor and advertising and all that stuff increases over time,” Marcano said. “I’ve noticed since I originally ran in 2019, the costs for printing have gone up substantially, so it’ll give us a little more wiggle room to absorb those increases and run a competitive race. I think it will help everybody.”