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Longmont City Council votes to amend municipal code on Special/Metropolitan Districts policies and procedures

Longmont City Council voted this past Tuesday night and approved an ordinance amending the city’s current code requirements surrounding the creation of Special or Metropolitan Districts.
Real estate, homes
Photo by Blake Wheeler on Unsplash

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

Longmont City Council voted this past Tuesday night and approved an ordinance amending the city’s current code requirements surrounding the creation of Special or Metropolitan Districts.

As it stood, the city’s code did not allow for the creation of a special district for the sole purpose of aiding in the development of residential areas, and it limited residential development in mixed use areas.

City staff recommended to council that they amend this code so as to remove any restriction on residential zone development in the wake of a new district being established.

This means that if there were any new development to go along with a new district proposal, then city council would have an opportunity to address the newly proposed service plans on a case-by-case basis.

As a political subdivision of the state, a district functions as a quasi-municipality. It would have the ability to provide services and manage development pertaining to parks and recreation services, ambulance services, sewer improvements, covenant enforcement, street improvements, and more.

A new district would not be allowed to provide police services, nor would it be allowed to construct electric or gas systems. The main difference between special and metropolitan districts is that special districts are created for a single purpose, whereas metropolitan districts serve more than one purpose.

Longmont City Council was notably split on this issue. In a 4-3 decision, they decided to approve the amendment to the city code. Any newly created district would be self-governing, which would thereby limit the power of the city municipality. However, the district would still be constrained by the strictures, as they were set forth by council, of the previously approved service plan, electoral authorization, and state statute.

The Mayor Pro Tem, council member Aren Rodriguez, and council member Joan Peck were the members of the council not in support of the amendment.

“Why are we doing this? This is political subdivision of the state,” asked Mayor Pro Tem, Polly Christensen. “It’s cost-shifting onto the home owners, who will be, as it says in the ordinance as it is, more reluctant to vote on anything that benefits the city as a whole because they are already going to be so burdened with higher taxes than the rest of us pay. Why would they vote for themselves to have any more taxes?”

“To me, the real issue as to whether or not this is going to work isn’t tonight. It’s going to be when a developer or a builder comes forward and says ‘I’d like to do a Metro District, and this is what I’d like to do’. And then as a council, we get to say, ‘Okay, now that they’re allowed, what do you want to do and why?” said Mayor Brian Bagley. “If it’s a really bad plan, I’m not voting for it.”

The purpose behind this amendment is geared towards enhancing the City of Longmont’s ability to provide affordable housing to its residents. City council will now be able to go through service plans on a case-by-case basis to decide which new districts should be created, and this provides them with a financial instrument to aid in new project developments.