Whether you're Secretly a Democrat or Secretly a Republican....

I just read a post from a candidate that captures what I think we should be talking about in our community.  It's written by Stephen Allen, candidate for City Council in Ward 3.  Regardless of who you intend to vote for, or your party affiliation, please take a moment to consider his words.  They are right on track.  They matter.

 Dear Friends and Neighbors,

My name is Stephen Allen and I am a candidate for Castle Pines City Council in Ward 3. Let me introduce myself. I am a nine-year resident of Castle Pines. My wife and I moved to the Castle Pines community to raise our family. We feel this is a very special place to live.

I decided to run for City Council because I am concerned about the direction of the current City Council leadership and want to make a change. I share the frustration of many residents who have taken the time to attend City Council meetings, spoken out about issues that concern them, and feel those concerns have been dismissed or ignored.

I believe the current City Council has become preoccupied with issues that do not reflect the interests of the majority of citizens, like pursuing the dissolution action against the CPN Metro District, and voting to authorize an urban renewal authority, which was rejected by an overwhelming majority of voters at the ballot box in November 2010.

If elected to City Council I will pursue three priorities:

Integration. I believe the City cannot move forward with integration without ending the litigation with the Metro District. Since the current City Council voted to dissolve the Metro District in February 2010, the City and Metro District have collectively spent over $500,000.00 on the dissolution litigation.

I believe there is no benefit to continuing the lawsuit. I have been attending City Council and Metro District meetings over the past two years. I have seen the chilling effect of the lawsuit. The elected leaders of the City and Metro District are talking at each other (through their attorneys) and not with each other. I think that is a disservice to our community. Also, if the lawsuit continues, the City is not likely to see any cost savings from integration of services, which was the City's justification for the lawsuit.

The irony is that residents of Castle Pines fund both the City and Metro District though their taxes and mill levies. So, essentially, the citizens of Castle Pines are funding the lawsuit. I personally do not think we are getting a good return on our investment. If elected, I would vote to withdraw the dissolution petition and end the lawsuit. I believe that is the only way the City can move forward and work cooperatively with the Metro District to achieve an integration of services plan that would benefit the citizens of this community.

Transparency. The job of the next City Council is to restore the trust of the citizens of Castle Pines. I believe there are legitimate concerns about transparency and openness in the operation of our city government.

One of the issues is lack of notice and opportunity for the public to provide input in the decisions made by City Council. The City provides the public with the minimum required notice of its agenda for any given City Council meeting. I think the City can do a better job of providing advance notice of its agenda and of public hearings where the input of the citizens is needed. If elected, I would advocate for laws that promote more openness and greater transparency in the operation of city government.

Road Maintenance. I believe that City Council must plan for the future. When the citizens of Castle Pines voted to incorporate, the City took on the responsibility of maintenance of city streets and roadways. That should be a funding priority for City Council.

Although the City Council recently approved funding for pavement repair, the City still needs to study the long-term costs of maintaining those roadways. If elected, I would support a study to determine the costs of maintaining city roadways on a life-cycle basis. Once the City has this information, the City Council can make informed decisions about how to pursue funding for this priority.

Thank you for being an interested and engaged citizen. If you have friends and neighbors in Ward 3 who might be interested in supporting my candidacy, please forward this e-mail to them. If you would like to talk with me or meet some of the other candidates, there will be an open house on Sunday, Oct. 23, from 1- 4 PM at the Merrill's home, 7360 Winter Berry Place.

Please come and invite your friends and neighbors!

Stephen Allen
Candidate for Castle Pines
City Council, Ward 3

City of Castle Pines, Ward 3, includes the neighborhoods of HOA#1, HOA#2, The Retreat, Huntington Ridge, Claremont Estates, Lagae Ranch and the Lodge at Castle Pines.

Comments on Proposed 2012 Budget - City of Castle Pines

Balancing a budget can prove difficult in places like Washington DC.  Similarly, staff has recommended to Council that they adopt another deficit budget for Castle Pines.  Council is planning to spend $1.2 million more than will be taken in for 2011.  Next year Council is asked to spend $223,233 more than it takes in. 

As for money coming into the city, you’re forecast to pay $400,000 for franchise fees associated with utilities and cable TV.  You’re expected to pay $630,000 in fees to the City that are associated with buying a new car.    

What value do you receive in return?  $120,000 pays basic legal services, with an additional $45,000 earmarked for suing ourselves.   $156,000 buys 30 hours a week of City management services.  $132,000 buys 83 hours a month producing financial statements.  “City Hall” rent is $85,000 at a time when we should share space with the Metro District.  $158,000 runs a park with no revenue.  At the same time the Metro District already has a parks manager, and Master Association dues aimed at parks sit idle.  $75,000 will explain to you what a great job is being done by the City, and $16,000 televises Council meetings.  $21,000 pays to ask you to pay more tax to the City, exactly why has yet to be determined. 

Council will consider staff’s proposal.  They can change any item prior to approval.  Oh, that they would.

What’s good news in the budget?  $1.3 million is aimed at our streets.  This time last year staff assured us we only needed to spend $200,000 on street repairs.  While that estimate changed, we still have not determined overall costs to maintain our streets over time. 

You should ask why.

Happily, fresh faces on the new council will soon be seated.  When that happens, talks with the Metro District Board can restart.  I suggest the attorneys and employees be kept out of the room.  Talks should not begin with a list of items to negotiate.  Instead, start with building a social relationship upon which to base the business relationship.  Once you find out you can get along, then start easing into the more substantive discussions. 

When this process produces results, Council can then adopt a revised budget to reflect the opportunities mentioned above.  It’s always important to consider the future, but the next three months need to be focused on slashing costs, and putting our own house in order.