Page 7 - FEB 2019 proof 4 - The Castle Pines Connection

CastlePinesConnection.com 7 ... AND NOW:
By Terri Wiebold; photo courtesy of the City of Castle Pines
When the inaugural issue of The Connection was published 10 years ago, the City of Castle Pines was marking its rst birthday. Last year was the 10th anniversary of
the City, and along with a celebration of the uniqueness of the community and the people who live here, we commemorated the journey with a literary recap of the incorporation e ort and some of the initial challenges the new City faced.
Then
One of the rst stories we covered in 2009 about the new City was the contemplation of becoming a home rule city. For reasons having very little to do with the pros versus cons of becoming a home rule city, a charter commission was not established at that time and no question was placed on the 2009 ballot regarding home rule.
City of CAstle Pines
Fast forward to July 2018: Castle Pines City Council unanimously approved an ordinance which set into motion the rst steps needed to transition to home rule.
In the November 2018 coordinated
Douglas County election, the citizens of
the City of Castle Pines voted 61 percent to create a Home Rule Charter Commission (Commission) with the purpose of proposing a governance structure that would dissolve the current dependence on the state legislature and improve Castle Pines’ ability to address local issues at a local level.
A Charter is a community’s “constitution” and most important guiding document. It outlines the structure and organization of its government and the powers and limitations of municipal o cials and agencies, according Castle Pines City Manager Michael Penny.
In drafting the Home Rule Charter (Charter), the commissioners utilized data compiled from the Colorado Municipal League on charters from across the state, consulted
city sta , solicited the opinions and views of citizens, and employed legal counsel experienced in municipal law.
Upon establishment of the Charter, the commissioners committed to the following: • Governance processes will be open, accountable, and responsive to the citizens. • Elected o cials will have the ability to develop processes that allow them to make decisions and act quickly and responsibly and can change over time.
• Checks and balances will be put in place to protect citizens’ right to be heard.
• Citizens will have recourse if they disagree with decisions made by their elected representatives through recall and initiative processes.
• City sta will function e ciently, e ectively and professionally under the governance model.
• The Charter will support and acknowledge the exibility needed for Castle Pines to grow, evolve and respond to future circumstances.
According to Commission Chair Geo Blue, “our vision as a Charter Commission has
been to create an enabling document that provides Castle Pines with a responsive and e cient government that is able to legislate as appropriate for our citizens while remaining accountable to them.”
Key provisions of the proposed Charter include:
• Recognition of the council-manager form of government, with exibility in organizational structure to allow Castle Pines to adjust to new demands and changing circumstances as the City grows and prospers
• Requirement of voter approval to implement or increase any city-collected tax, consistent with the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), regardless of whether TABOR may be repealed or amended at some future date
• Implementation of e ective checks and balances by, among other actions, providing broad powers of recall, initiative and referendum
• Accountability for responsible use of public funds and for the conduct of the City’s business on a balanced budget basis
• Establishment of a structure for the e cient and orderly conduct of the City government, while also providing for and encouraging citizen participation in the a airs of the City.
Blue asserts that this foundational Charter “puts the citizens and community of Castle Pines rst and gives them the ability to control their government so they can ensure their interests remain paramount.”
Last month, the Commission gave a public presentation of the proposed Charter and incorporated feedback from citizens before later presenting the Charter at the nal public hearing (as of press time) set for January 30, where the Commission would formally adopt the Charter.
On February 12, the Commission will present the Charter to City Council at a 5:30 p.m. study session prior to the regular City Council meeting at at the Douglas County Libraries – Castle Pines. The public is welcome to attend. On February 26, City Council will refer the Charter to the citizens of Castle Pines for a special election to be held on May 14, where residents will vote to either support or reject the Charter.
The City of Castle Pines Home Rule Charter Commission: Back row, left to right – Jim Mulvey, Fredrick
Lee, Charley Heard, Dave Brennan, Ron Cole, Erik Bowman and Doug Gilbert. Front row, left to right – Bill Hodges, Carol Lewis, Geo Blue (chair), Je rey Hu (vice chair/secretary), Jean Henry and James Coudeyras.