Citizen Centennial 4/19/13
Centennial
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 22
April 19, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourcentennialnews.com
City approves controversial annexation Nearby homeowners fear their areas will be scooped up By Deborah Grigsby
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews.com Despite pleas from upset homeowners, the City of Centennial picked up a few more acres of real estate surrounding two subdivisions located in unincorporated Arapahoe County.
While the annexation of five parcels of open space does not include the Tuscany and Siena subdivisions, City Planner Andrew Firestine says it does turn them into an enclave by sufficiently surrounding them with land that’s part of Centennial, which would permit the city, in three years, to unilaterally suck up more than 1,400 homes. The city thinks residents who live in Siena and Tuscany should pay their share for city services they use, and that the move doesn’t mean they’ll be annexed, just that the option is preserved for a future city council.
Siena and Tuscany residents who spoke at the April 15 city council weren’t convinced, some calling it just short of “taxation without representation.” “By giving this option to a future city council, you essentially take away the option of any Siena or Tuscany resident to have any say whatsoever,” said Jimmy Sengenberger, one of the affected homeowners. Other residents asked Mayor Cathy Noon and city council to consider only annexing all but one of the parcels, which would not create an enclave. “If you truly want to annex parks, take them,” said John Gay, “but don’t take The
Farm just so you can enclave. You have the law on your side, but it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.” Should the subdivisions eventually be annexed, the city says the property tax difference would be negligible, meaning that a $500,000 home in either neighborhood would see an annual increase in such taxes of approximately $5. “I, personally, would not vote to annex Tuscany or Siena today,” admitted a conflicted Noon. “You’ve heard that financially it doesn’t look like it is to be a benefit to the city, and I would not want to annex folks Annexation continues on Page 12
Elections bill stirs passion
Ready to take off
Democrats see more involvement; Republicans predict greater fraud By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com A Democratic-sponsored bill that would put in place sweeping changes to how Colorado elections are conducted passed a state legislative committee on April 15, following a lengthy and heavily debated hearing that went deep into the night. House Bill 1303 would change the state’s election code to allow for sameday voter registration and would put ballots in the mailboxes of every registered voter. The bill also would do away Report with a system where “inactive” voters — those who did not vote in the previous election — do not continue to receive mail-in ballots. Democrats say the changes would encourage more involvement in the voting process, and would save taxpayer dollars on things like voting equipment, because fewer people would need to vote in person. The bill’s sponsors argue that Colorado voters want greater voting access and that legislators should respond to their desires. “People have demanded that we reform our elections system, and it is time for us to design an election system around our voters,” House Majority Leader Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, DGunbarrel, a bill sponsor, told members of the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. But Republicans argue that the changes could lead to greater voting fraud and that the Democrats’ efforts on the bill are self-serving attempts to boost their own party’s voter rolls. Applause erupted from the audience when Rep. Tim Dore, R-Elizabeth, questioned the sponsors’ motives, telling committee members, “I don’t hear the outcry from voters.”
Capitol
Remington Wozniak, of Centennial, holds up his kite while awaiting a wind gust during the 11th annual Arvada Kite Festival on April 13. Photo by Andy Carpenean
Report card gives Centennial high marks Mayor says the city has lived up to goals set 10 years ago By Deborah Grigsby
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews.com When the City of Centennial was incorporated more than a decade ago, it laid out a strategic plan containing 14 guiding principles and goals it hoped to achieve by 2012. Centennial Mayor Cathy Noon detailed those goals before a crowd of more than 250 business leaders, elected officials and others at the annual State of the City address, held April 11 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Centennial. “Our wonderful city isn’t just happenstance,” Noon said. “It is the result of a wellthought-out plan that was set in motion years ago, a plan that we have implemented and that we will take into the future — a plan of vision combined with leadership.” So how does Centennial stack up against its decade-old goals? Fairly well, according to Noon. Among the city’s first goals were those tied to financial stability, including a bal-
Centennial Mayor Cathy Noon delivers the annual State of the City address April 11. Approximately 10 years ago, the city laid out a strategic plan identifying 14 guiding principles to be achieved by 2012. Noon presented the city’s 10-year report card to more than 250 people, including elected officials, community members and business leaders. Photo by Deborah Grigsby anced tax base and a financially sustainable government. “During 2012, we added to our sound,
balanced tax base with more commercial and retail property with the annexations of State continues on Page 25
Vote continues on Page 6
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