The Lakewood City Council is devoting an entire study session to Special District Abuse on Monday, February 3, 2020. 7:00 pm. This is an important issue to those in special districts, those who may consider buying a home in a special district and those who do not live in special districts.
Here is why:
There are billions of dollars of wealth being taxed from the residents in the Front Range – without their vote – in order to pad the unearned and unaccounted for profits of developers.
Denver Post Special District Series Plus Commentaries and Letters to the Editor
As a Longmont City Council person recently noted during their study session of special districts, “people who are maxed out in taxes paying bond debt for developers are going to be less willing to fund increases in school, road and public safety taxes. There is only so much you can expect taxpayers to pay.”
https://longmontobserver.org/featured/video-longmont-city-council-work-session-1-7-2020/
In Longmont, they prohibited special districts for residential developments. Prohibited. Can’t do it. They made an exception last year and are now thinking about reinstating the ban.
Think about it. Compare buying a home in Longmont and Lakewood.
Same house, in Longmont. Infrastructure paid as part of cost of the lot. Because special districts are not allowed. Same cost for the home to the homeowner. Same amount of mortgage. But the taxes are much lower. Developer made plenty of profit.
Same house in Lakewood. The cost of the lot is the same (they didn’t give it away). Cost of the home is the same. The mortgage is the same. But the home is in a special district. Loan on a loan to “pay for infrastructure”. But the cost of the lot is the same, the cost of the home is the same, the mortgage is the same. But the taxes are much higher. Developer made a lot more profits.
We don’t need special districts – their only actual purpose is to exponentially increase the profit to the developer.
There is a growing drum-beat of change. The state legislators are considering reform legislation. The cities are considering reform legislation.
Predictably, the Lakewood City staff is proposing to have the City Council just think about it. Not do anything. And certainly don’t do anything about special districts already in place. That is consistent with a Public Relations campaign initiated by the special district community to fight any reform.
Here is the agenda and staff memo:
Here is a description of the public relations strategy for the special district community dated December 6:
catalyst_memo_to_metro_district_professionals_-_education_effort_-12.5.2019
We need to do more than just think about it. We need a City of Lakewood ordinance with consumer protection safeguards against special district abuse. Or a Longmont ordinance simply prohibiting special districts for residential development.
We need your voices. One way or the other. If you support special districts, the City needs to hear from you. If you support special district reform, the City needs to hear from you.
Monday evening 7:00 pm.
John Henderson