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 th

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 confusin

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 District's attempt to link the approval of the Lagae rezoning and the American Academy School to overcrowding in th

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 wi

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 will create eleven new metro districts with property tax 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