Brick Wall Committee (Tuesday)

The committee met for two hours. A representative from a brick manufacturer spent about thirty minutes walking through how brick is made, covering clay composition and color matching, but did not provide any pricing. A repair contractor also spoke about what repair could look like for some sections of wall, and he did not have pricing either. When he was asked specifically about repairing a section, the photo used for that part of the discussion (which was on the screen for the majority of the meeting) was not actually a photo from our neighborhood (see below).

If you have feedback, questions, or ideas for the brick wall committee, they (and we) would like to hear from you.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to locate the email address for the brick wall committee yet. We will update this blog post once we receive it.

 In the meantime, feel free to email us at [email protected] and we will pass along your input to the committee.

Metro District Board Meeting (Friday)

During public comment, a resident shared that he and his neighbor split the cost of repairing the brick wall between their properties, for a total of around $6,000. That's a useful number to sit alongside the multimillion dollar estimates that have come up in past discussions about a full brick wall replacement.

TABOR: Two Different Limits

TABOR, Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, sets a legal ceiling on how much tax revenue a local government (like our Metro District) can collect and keep each year. If a government collects more than that ceiling, it's required to refund the extra back to taxpayers (in this case, homeowners), unless voters approved an exception.

Our district points to a 1996 vote as that exception. But a resident raised a pointed question on Friday: did that 1996 vote cover everything? TABOR actually sets two separate limits, one on how fast property tax revenue can grow year to year, and a separate limit on total revenue collected. It appears the 1996 vote only addressed the growth limit, not the total revenue limit.

That leaves an open question: has our district been collecting more than the total revenue limit allows, and if so, should some of that money have been refunded?

This question has been posed directly to the Metro District’s legal counsel, who has not yet responded.

For context, the Metro District is funded entirely through our property taxes (if you look at your tax bill, it is the second largest line item), and it currently holds more than $5 million in reserve.

Other Updates

Our new landscape vendor, Sustainable Roots, is now in place on a trial basis. The landscaping contract will go out to open bid before the end of the year.

Willow Creek Trail construction is expected to begin toward the end of July and finish before school starts. Only the gate and fencing are going in during this phase, lighting and security will come later.

The Overlook Pavilion remains on track for a mid-August construction start.

Executive Session

Board members have said they want to be more transparent about the brick wall process. On Friday, however, the board ended the public portion of the meeting to go into a closed executive session to receive legal advice on questions concerning the walls and fences in the community.

The best way to stay informed and make your voice heard is to attend the monthly Metro District Board Meeting - held on the second Friday of every month at 8:15 AM in the clubhouse and via Zoom. Public comments are welcome at both the beginning and end, and attending for even a few minutes makes a difference.

Make sure you are signed up to get these posts emailed directly to you so you don't miss a thing.

The next meeting is Friday, August 14th. We hope to see you there!

Thanks, friends!
— Jill, Katie & Faith