Week of December 8, 2022
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
CastlePinesNewsPress.net
VOLUME 10 | ISSUE 16
School district anticipates funding questions on 2023 ballot Money would go to staff pay BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
With voter approval, Colorado will embark on how to have more affordable housing statewide.
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Affordable housing initiative could face rocky future Proposition 123 was approved by Colorado voters BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Few issues affect Coloradans as much as rising housing prices. The state will take a step toward addressing the problem — to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars per year — as officials implement SEE HOUSING, P2
WHAT COLORADO CURRENTLY DOES ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING The state partners with local communities to increase and preserve Colorado’s affordable housing stock, manage rental-assistance vouchers, and address homelessness, says the state’s “blue book” voter guide, noting the state Department of Local Affairs is involved. The current budget for the department’s affordable housing initiatives is about $200 million, about half of which is from state sources, with the rest coming from federal sources. Since 2021, the state has allocated more than $1.2 billion from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for
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affordable housing and services that address housing insecurity, lack of affordable and workforce housing, or homelessness. (The Urban Land Institute defines “workforce” households as those earning between 60% and 120% of the area median income.) These are one-time funds that will be spent over the next several years on: • Emergency rental assistance; • Homeowner mortgage assistance; • Tax credits for developers; • Housing and infrastructure; • And other housing solutions, such as manufactured homes.
Though voters turned down two funding measures for the Douglas County School District in November, it seems likely the district will return to the ballot in 2023 in an effort to increase staff compensation and build three new elementary schools. During the Nov. 30 school board retreat, board members and Superintendent Erin Kane evaluated the results of the failed election with a focus on lessons learned, as well as discussed whether to ask for a bond and mill levy override next year. All of the board members and Kane voiced support for putting a mill levy override and bond on the 2023 ballot. “Personally, I would love for us to have (the bond and mill levy override) on the ballot in 2023 pretty much exactly as they were, asking for the same things because we didn’t magically find a different way to do it,” Kane said. Board members were more optimistic about the chances for passing a mill levy override in 2023 because it only failed by around 3,000 votes compared to the bond, which lost by more than 15,000 votes. SEE SCHOOLS, P10
Special CD Rate
4.17% APY* 10 Month Term
120 S Wilcox St. Castle Rock, CO 80104 | 303-660-4001 *Annual Percentage Yield (APY) and interest rate of Certificate of Deposit (CD) may change after account opening. Fees could reduce earnings on the CD. A penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal. *The CD is automatically renewed into a Standard 9 month CD with current rate at renewal. *The Annual Percentage Yield is current as of October 31, 2022.