New Year Welcome

I’d like to thank the people of Castle Pines for the opportunity to serve as your Mayor over the past year. As a candidate in 2009, I told you that: “I will promote open communication to residents, encourage business and residential development, and ensure adequate water supplies for our growing community.” As we embark on a new year in 2011, I want to share a few thoughts and observations about what we have and have not accomplished over the past year.

First of all, I am optimistic about our prospects for the coming year. I believe that there will be a huge inflection point as citizens realize that we can create a community-focused strategy that will increase property values, promote business development and enhance our quality of life. It is up to all of us to make this happen.

We are investing in our infrastructure of roads and streets. However, the needed investment in infrastructure and amenities to keep our community attractive to upscale homeowners and businesses will require additional investment. Council should determine just what these long term obligations are and how best to fund them.

The integration of City and Metro District services continues to be of critical importance. Now that this process has been initiated, it is one of my primary goals to see that this process unfolds in a way that benefits the taxpayers. Nevertheless, community leaders need to stay focused on what is best for the citizens of Castle Pines and create a climate of teamwork between the city, our metro districts and the business community.

In the area of community outreach, we’ve established several citizen advisory committees that have tapped the local talent and expertise of our citizens and provided an opportunity for individuals to get re-engaged in our community. However, these committees lack the requisite broad-based citizen participation to be effective, so please consider getting involved.

With all we’ve accomplished, we face the reality of lower than normal levels of economic activity as many businesses and families work to recover lost capital from the financial conditions of the recession. I want to work to restore economic growth and create conditions that are favorable to business. As an example, I have proposed a reduction in business licensing fees and a rebate of building permit fees for certain retail establishments which council will take under consideration in January.

So, thank you for all of your hard work and for upholding the values that continue to distinguish Castle Pines. If you have ideas or suggestions that could make our community a better place to live, I welcome your comments. Please write to me at jeffrey.huff@cpngov.com or call 303-705-0215. My best wishes to you for a happy and prosperous new year.