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Week of September 29, 2022
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
SouthPlatteIndependent.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 26
VOLUME 77 | ISSUE 47
Racial equity in the Arapahoe County justice system Groups discuss, create possible solutions BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Opioid Memorial Wall seen in the lobby of the Jefferson County Courthouse in 2018.
PHOTO BY SARA HERTWIG
County discusses opioid settlement spending Funds to address five areas BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A newly formed council of Arapahoe County leaders discussed plans to spend millions in funds
won through a multi-state settlement with some of the country’s largest drug giants during a Sept. 22 virtual meeting. The Arapahoe County Regional Opioid Council — comprised of 12 members that includes elected officials, law enforcement and social service workers — will help guide about $25 million in new spending over the next 18 years.
The money is but a slice of the massive $26 billion settlement to states and local governments agreed to in February by drug distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, McKesson and manufacturer Johnson and Johnson, which faced lawsuits for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic. SEE OPIOID, P10
Arapahoe County seeks changes to land code for unincorporated areas Focus on affordable housing BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Arapahoe County leaders said they will seek public input in the coming weeks on changes to the
county’s Land Development Code for unincorporated areas in a bid to shore up its housing supply. “There is not enough housing, so that kind of begs the question of what are we missing,” said Arapahoe County Commissioner Carrie Warren-Gully. “You can’t just have a single type of housing that’s going to satisfy the needs of everybody in our community.”
When it comes to racial equity, what are the issues facing the Arapahoe County justice system and how can they be addressed? It’s a question the Arapahoe County Racial Equity Subcommittee has been tackling since its formation last year, and on Sept. 19, the board invited community members to share their questions and concerns during its first in-person event at Ready to Work Aurora. “We conduct community education, and we also want to have some outreach from the community,” said Jeff Baker, an Arapahoe County commissioner and the chair of the subcommittee. “And that is what this meeting was set up to do, to try to open up the avenues of communication to our justice — folks in the justice system.”
A flurry of funding for local governments approved by state lawmakers last year — including a $6.8 million grant program — could help counties like Arapahoe make their land use codes more supportive of new developments, especially affordable homes.
What is the Racial Equity Subcommittee? The Racial Equity Subcommittee is part of the Arapahoe County Justice Coordinating Committee, which was established in 2007, according to the county’s website. John Kellner, the district attorney for the 18th Judicial District, is a member of both groups. “It is a group that gets together to talk about: How do we improve the justice system in Arapahoe County?” Kellner said about the Justice Coordinating Committee. “And what grew out of that in the summer of 2020 was a desire to focus more on the racial and
SEE HOUSING, P8
SEE EQUITY, P12
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