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Week of November 3, 2022
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
LittletonIndependent.net
VOLUME 134 | ISSUE 15
Brown talks fentanyl, car thefts and mental health As part of online event BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The annual process to discuss and approve budgets is officially underway.
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Commissioners eye spending $500 million in 2023 To rely on one-time federal funds BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Buoyed by a rise in property and sales tax revenue along with a once-in-a-generation infusion of
federal funds, Arapahoe County commissioners plan to spend almost half a billion dollars next year. But county leaders differed on whether that money will be enough to meet the needs of its roughly 650,000 residents. The $498 million 2023 budget unveiled Oct. 25 is a roughly 10% increase in spending from last year, according to county spokesperson
Chris Henning, and continues the trend of an ever-growing budget that surpassed $400 million in 2019. The bulk of the funding, as in past years, is slated for retaining the thousands of county staff who provide more than 240 programs and services. “Residents know us because of
get to be the facilitators of that, that’s the best thing in the world.” Beginning work in May 2023, the college is slated to pour millions into modernizing and retrofitting the southeast building on its main campus in Littleton — known as the Annex Building — to accommodate an increased pool of students
Fentanyl When asked what is something the community should be cognizant of, Brown said it’s substance use disorder issues — specifically, fentanyl. Arapahoe County Coroner Kelly Lear previously told Colorado Community Media there was a 50% increase in the number of fentanylrelated deaths between 2020 and 2021 in Arapahoe County. “One of the things that we’ve done, and we continue to do, is to deploy our special investigations unit to go out and really hit these criminal enterprises at their level and take poison off of the street that is really harming our communities,” Brown said. Brown said the special investigations unit has “taken over 75,000 tabs of illegal fentanyl off the street” as well as “dozens of guns.” He encouraged parents to monitor their children, especially their online activity.
SEE COLLEGE, P4
SEE SHERIFF, P5
SEE BUDGET, P12
ACC to pour millions into center for healthcare training To shore up supply of critical workers BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Arapahoe Community College (ACC) is forging ahead on a multimillion-dollar renovation for a
building set to house an expansion of the college’s healthcare programs. “I really truly believe that what we’re going to accomplish, in partnership with the healthcare industry, will allow more students to be able to actualize their dream and make good livable sustainable incomes,” said ACC President Stephanie Fujii. “The fact that we
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 34
Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown addressed concerns about fentanyl, auto thefts and the mental health of young people during his virtual “Talk with Tyler” questionand-answer event held Oct. 27. “I think that it’s imperative that we allow ourselves to be open to these conversations, not shy away from the tough questions and really make a connection,” Brown said. “We will continue these and I’m excited to do so.”
SOCIAL EXPLOSION
Monitoring Chile’s Estallido Social from Colorado
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