Update on City's Delinquent Audit

I have obtained through an open records request, a letter from the Office of the State Auditor, to Douglas County Treasurer, Sharon Jones, authorizing her to "hold all funds generated pursuant to the taxing authority" of Castle Pines North. City sources say that with the completion on of the audit field work performed by the CH2M HILL city finance staff, the city's auditor will be able to complete a final audit report by the end of October.

CPN Mayor Dodges Questions About Audit

The city is in default on its 2008 audit with the state auditor. The city missed the deadline for filing on July 31. The city missed the extended deadline on September 30th. The state auditor may now order the state treasurer to withhold tax revenues to the city. A question concerning the status of the audit was brought up by a resident at the October 8th city council meeting. The resident received no response from anyone on council or the mayor.

When asked by the Castle Pines Connection today why the 2008 financial audit has not been filed, the mayor responded, "I regret that there has been misinformation and more confusing information on this matter disseminated, and hope we can answer all your questions in the article we are in the midst of preparing." Madam Mayor, there is no misinformation nor confusing information being disseminated. There is only the fact that the 2008 audit is 3 months overdue and your office continues to stonewall citizens who seek important financial information about the state of our city.

Huff Supports School Choice

Recently, my opposition has misrepresented my position on charter schools. To set the record straight, I refer readers to my August 2008 post defending the American Academy charter school prior to the zoning hearing before city council.

At the time, I stated, "For me, the (Douglas County School) District's attempt to link the approval of the Lagae rezoning and the American Academy School to overcrowding in the District's existing facilities is unpersuasive...Successful passage of this bond issue will help alleviate overcrowding in the public schools, not lobbying our representatives to deny private development."

I support school choice because parents are uniquely qualified to determine the best educational alternative for their children. My own children attend 3rd and 5th grade at Timber Trail Elementary and 8th grade at Cherry Hills Christian.

Read the entire post here: http://tinyurl.com/y9wytua

Huff Negotiates Tax Reduction for CPN Residents

Castle Pines North candidate for Mayor, Jeff Huff, secured a commitment from the board of directors of the Castle Pines North Metro District to implement a property tax reduction for 2010. Huff presented his argument for lower taxes at the board meeting September 21. “The board agreed to reduce the property tax for debt service by 8.3%,” announced Huff after the meeting. “This is the right thing to do for taxpayers who are struggling under a heavy tax load combined with a weak economy, depressed housing prices and high unemployment.”

The property tax decrease to 22 mills from 24 mills will save taxpayers in CPN $313,526.00 in 2010. “The tax reduction will decrease revenues to the District but the board should be able to make up for those lost revenues due to lower interest rate expenditures in 2010,” Huff explained.

“This is only the first step I will take in lowering costs for residents. I will ask the board of the Master Association for a significant reduction in dues at the budget meeting next month. If elected, I will also review city expenditures and make prudent cuts where necessary. We need to make sure taxpayers are getting their money’s worth.”

Mayor Shul Proposes Eleven New Metro Districts

In a few weeks city council will hear public comment and vote on the annexation of The Canyons development. The annexation documents provide for the creation of eleven new metro districts with property tax debt ceilings set nearly three times higher than CPN's existing 24 mills.

Shul has often argued for "integration" of services in Castle Pines North. Claiming that integration will lead to substantial cost savings for CPN residents, city officials have sought the dissolution of the CPN Metro District and a corresponding transfer of budgets, money and operational oversight to the city's corporate service provider, CH2M Hill.

It seems ironic to me that the mayor and city council can advocate with a straight face the elimination of one district while passing legislation to create eleven more.

As Mayor, I would work to see that residents of CPN are provided accurate information on which to assess the viability of future projects.

Vote Jeff Huff for Mayor. Ballots will be mailed October 13. www.HuffForMayor.com.

Jeff Huff Announces Candidacy for Mayor

I recently filed paperwork to run for Mayor of Castle Pines North. I wanted explain my reasons for seeking election and ask for your support in this important endeavor for our community. First of all, I would like to thank the many individuals that have encouraged me to run and offered their assistance and advice.

I firmly believe that the government works FOR the people, that government should be limited and unobtrusive, that government should ask permission before it raises taxes and elected officials should be held accountable to the people who elected them.

A fiscally responsible government would run the city within its means. Until recently, the city spent $160,000 per month on a single city services contract, an amount well in excess of actual revenues. In 2007-08, I served as vice chairman of the CPN Election Commission which oversaw the drafting of CPN’s first ballot questions. When city council members changed the language of the ballot initiatives, I fought to keep taxes low and opposed last year’s ballot initiatives that would have raised property taxes to some residents by 17%.

Our community has tremendous opportunities for growth. It is important to manage that growth in a responsible manner. We should coordinate our efforts with those of our neighbors to bring about a sustainable solution to our water needs and promote development that preserves the nature and character of our Colorado lifestyle.

The Canyons development to the east provides room for expansion and additional opportunities for recreational facilities, a city center and additional commercial development. To this end we need to work together to achieve the dual objectives of a strong and viable city government and a well-managed and financially stable water district.

As Mayor, I would end the infighting among special interests, promote open communication to residents, encourage business and residential development, and ensure adequate water supplies for our growing community.

Since moving to Castle Pines North in June of 2000, I have led many community initiatives. I was instrumental in negotiating the settlement of a legal dispute between CPN Master Association and a member HOA. I serve as a director on the Castle Pines North Master Association, as president of the Hidden Pointe Metro District and as chairman of Colorado House District 45 for the Republican Party.

I am a graduate of the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University. My wife Crista and I have been married for 16 years. We have three daughters that attend Cherry Hills Christian and Timber Trail Elementary. I am a strong supporter of initiatives which promote charter schools and protect the rights of parents who choose to home school. I am a Vice President and Estate Planning Consultant with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney where I’ve been employed since 1988.

Power Politics in Castle Pines North

After the demotion of the CPN City Treasurer, which was extensively reported on in the last edition of the Castle Pines Connection, recent inquiries have revealed that the City owes over $1,500,000 to various entities, most of it in contractual obligations to consulting firms and lawyers.

In an effort to obtain desperately needed funds, the City recently requested jurisdiction over the local water provider, the CPN Metro District. The District is funded by your tax dollars. The City’s plan would divert tax revenues needed for water to other municipal uses and transfer management of our local parks to a multinational corporation.

A July 14 letter from the mayor to the District requested the “incremental integration of services and functions of the District within the City.” Much like a python eats a pig, the City plans to swallow the District whole and digest it bit by bit.

In evaluating the City’s ability to wisely manage the operations and revenues of the District, consider the following:

• Until June, the City was paying $160,629 per month for city management services from CH2M Hill. This amount was recently reduced to $79,124 per month. Taxpayers can applaud the cost reductions, but city expenditures were irrationally high from the outset and spending continues to exceed revenue.

• As reported in June issue of The Castle Pines Connection, City Council "stripped the city treasurer of virtually all power" and appointed a deputy treasurer citing “a lack of confidence in financial disclosure and transparency.”

• Four former members of the CPN Master Association, now city officials, authorized a loan of $200,000 from the public funds of the Master Homeowners Association. Those same individuals now resist paying the balance of the money back despite earlier public promises to do so.

• The City has enacted 12 ordinances which require the payment of a fee or tax. This occurred after campaign promises of “no new property taxes for any CPN resident.”

I have confidence that the CPN Metro District can responsibly manage water resources, provide renewable water for the future, and manage our parks and open space. Until the City lives up to its promise of transparency in government and demonstrates some measure of fiscal responsibility, I cannot advocate the transfer of millions of dollars of tax revenues from the District to the City.

School Transparency Bill Succumbs to Lobbyists

Last week, the House Education Committee killed the Public School Financial Transparency Act.  The Act, sponsored by Highlands Ranch Republican Senator Ted Harvey, would have required all public school districts to post their spending and revenues online.  The bill had passed the Senate Education Committee 26-8 in February with strong bipartisan support.

According to transparency activist, Natalie Menten, acquiring public spending records can be tedious and expensive.  “Many people do not know how to request public records. Public information requests made under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) can be expensive, even if the documents are requested in economical formats like copied to a CD. For example, an excel spreadsheet of Jefferson County Schools' purchasing card spending cost $75. Other schools have quoted prices up to $2300 for the same records.” 

The influence of the Colorado Education Association was apparent in the outcome of the vote.  Legislators in the House who voted no on SB 57 are the same eight legislators that received over $41,000 in campaign contributions from the state education lobby during the 2008 election cycle.  Casting no votes were Democrat Representatives Debbie Benefield, Mike Merrifield, Karen Middleton, Cherilyn Peniston, Christine Scanlon, Judy Solano, Sue Schafer and Nancy Todd.

Republican legislators on the Committee who showed respect for taxpayers and voted yes on school transparency were Douglas County Representative Carole Murray, and Representatives Ken Summers, Randy Baumgardner, Tom Massey and Kevin Priola.  Interestingly enough, these legislators received no campaign contributions from the education lobby during the last election cycle. 

Readers wanting more information on spending transparency and accountability can visit the Colorado Spending Transparency website at:

http://transparency.i2i.org/2009/03/no-sunshine-for-colorado-school-districts/

More information on a variety of state and local issues can be found on Natalie Menten’s site at: http://www.nataliementen.com/

Water Authority to Sponsor Conservation Seminar

Mark Shively, President of the Douglas County Water Resource Authority announced that the Authority is sponsoring three regional seminars on how HOAs can conserve water and save money. The DCWRA hosted one such meeting last year with great success. The dates for the three programs this year are March 7, 11, and 19.

The seminars will focus on the best landscape management practices, state of the art ET controllers, and Xeriscape techniques. There will also be an in-depth discussion of the most economic practices for common area irrigation. Three regional water conservation experts from Highlands Ranch, Parker, and Castle Rock will lead the discussions.

This program is tailored to HOA board members, their management firms, and landscape contractors. The goal is to facilitate an understanding of effective HOA common area management between the managers, board members and contractors who often disagree on which practices are best.

For more information contact Mark Shively at markshively@mho.com and be sure to view a short video of the 2008 workshop on the DCWRA website here: http://www.dcwater.org/#topVideo