By Cory Gaines | Guest Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project
Sage Pointe, a neighborhood just outside of Sterling, Colo., in Logan County, might have a Metro District coming.
Since such things might be new to a lot of people out here; I thought it worth taking a minute to hit the high notes on Metro Districts.
Before anything else, let me take a second to say that nothing of what I write below should be taken as an accusation against anyone in Sage Pointe, nor as any sort of alarm call. Metro Districts have been and can be problematic, but they don’t have to be as long as you’re informed.
The Journal-Advocate article linked here details a recent decision by Logan County Commissioners that allows Sage Pointe residents to circulate petitions in their neighborhood, and, if sufficient signatures are collected, to have a special election to form a Metro District (Metro Districts are a particular kind of the more general class of Special Districts: tiny government entities which have certain powers like the ability to tax and issues bonds, another example would be a water conservancy district). If it passes the signature-gathering stage, the special election to form the district would be next March.
For a map of the proposed district, see the Journal-Advocate article.
As I mentioned above, Metro Districts can issue bonds and that’s precisely why some in Sage Pointe want to form one. The state is requiring updates to this neighborhood’s water and sewer system, updates which would bankrupt everyone living there if they had to be paid for all at once. By creating a Metro District, the neighborhood can pay for these improvements over time, lowering the amount homeowners have to pay to manageable payments.
The devil with Metro Districts, however, lies in how things are done and who does them. In order to give you (whether you live in Sage Pointe or not) some resources so you can study up on the topic, I put a bunch of links below.
The first and second are to Denver Post articles on the topic. Say what you will about the Post, they did a masterful series on the topic of Metro Districts. I singled out a particularly informative one (the third link) which is a reader Q and A.
The fourth and fifth links are to some government resources on Metro Districts. They should be good jumping off points for you to find information.
The most important things you can do with Metro Districts is to inform yourself and get involved. The reason being that the biggest problems creep up when the board is stuffed with people who have flexible ethics, who won’t be paying the bills, or who have resources enough to be insulated from high costs.
Again, this is not an accusation against anyone in Sage Pointe, it’s more a call to attention for those that live there or for those that live in other Metro Districts (or are thinking of buying into one).
When the issue comes up to vote for a Metro District, carefully consider what’s being asked for and who’s doing the deciding. If and when the district gets formed, get involved. Go to meetings, share information with other residents, and consider getting on the board (see the 6th link below for different forms you can use).
Educate yourself, speak up, and be involved.
https://www.denverpost.com/tag/debt-and-democracy/
https://www.denverpost.com/2019/12/16/metro-districts-question-answer/
https://metrodistrictreform.org/research-resources
https://engagedora.org/metropolitan-district-homeowners-rights-task-force
https://dlg.colorado.gov/special-district-election-forms
READ MORE OF CORY GAINES COMMENTARY AT THE COLORADO ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.