Page 3 - December Proof

City election down to the wire
By Carin R. Kirkegaard
While most of the elections in Douglas County last month had a clear margin of victory, the City of Castle Pines mayoral race came down to the wire, putting the democratic process to the test.
With rankings changing following every incremental count and a margin of only 22 votes ultimately determining the winner, ensuring every vote was accurately counted was a critical – and time consuming – part of the election process.
According to Douglas County Clerk and Recorder Merlin Klotz, the small percentage of votes that are kicked out of the system due to things like signature errors generally don’t have a substantial impact on election results.
“In the case of Castle Pines this
year, those handful of ballots made
a difference, and that additional verification process takes time,” he said. Klotz went on to explain that in order to protect the anonymity of those handful of votes to be verified (or “cured”), additional ballots were held out to mix in with the cured ones. “In the end,
the voters can have a high degree of confidence in the process,” he said.
A total of 5,128 votes were cast in
the City of Castle Pines mayoral race (more than 1,700 on Election Day) –
an increase of 27% from the previous election. More than 55% of registered voters in the City of Castle Pines participated this year, compared to the Douglas County average of 40% and the state average of 37%. The good news ... civic engagement in Castle Pines was at an all-time high.
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Municipal Happenings
FAQs about Parker Water & Sanitation District
Information provided by Parker Water & Sanitation District
Many residents in the City of Castle Pines will be getting a new water service provider next year, and in preparation for the transition, here are a few things you may want to know:
Castle Pines North Metro District (CPNMD) will continue normal operations until January 3, 2022 (Day 1), at which point Parker Water & Sanitation District (PWSD) will take over operations pursuant to the terms of the inclusion agreement.
PWSD will take over all of CPNMD’s assets on Day 1, including the wells, the water treatment plant, the distribution system, fleet vehicles, water rights, and CPNMD’s 1,500 acre feet of storage at Rueter-Hess Reservoir.
PWSD does not own or bear responsibility for these assets or CPNMD’s operations until that time.
Immediately following Day 1, the two systems will operate individually under PWSD while the infrastructure (pipeline and pumps) needed to interconnect the two systems is constructed.
TBD 2025 – Interconnection of all infrastructure between the two systems will be completed. Until the systems
are interconnected, CPNMD customers will continue to receive the same water they rely on today. Once the systems are interconnected, which we anticipate will happen sometime between 2024 and 2026, water between the two systems will flow back and forth as needed.
What is PWSD’s billing schedule?
PWSD bills on a monthly basis.
Additional information is available on the Pay My Bill page of the website. You may also visit the Understanding My
Bill page to view rates and fees and to calculate estimated residential monthly water bills.
How do I pay my bill after Jan. 3, 2022?
Your January bill (for December usage) will be issued by CPNMD; plan on paying CPNMD as usual in January. Note that CPNMD balances and billing information will not carry over to PWSD. Any balances due to CPNMD will continue
to be due to CPNMD, even after the inclusion is complete.
Your February bill (for January usage) will be the first bill you receive from PWSD. Once you have received your first bill from PWSD in February, you will begin a new financial relationship with PWSD.
Checking or credit card account information you may have saved with CPNMD will not be transferred to PWSD. You will need to create a new profile for online payment/ACH/autopay and other services with PWSD. You will be able to login to PWSD’s online system and update information after you receive your first PWSD bill in February.
How does this affect the rest of the City of Castle Pines?
PWSD already serves a portion of the City of Castle Pines. By including CPNMD, PWSD will officially be serving the majority of the city.
To learn more about PWSD, visit www. pwsd.org.
December 2021