Herald HRH 10-3-2013
Highlands Ranch
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 26, Issue 46
October 3, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourhighlandsranchnews.com
Energy program is gain for HRCA Partnership will bring big savings By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com
Northridge Elementary School fifth-graders Regan Baird, left, and Cassen LaBounty participate in a weather experiment with the University of Colorado Science Discovery program at the school’s Sciencepalooza.
Science alliance
As Day 2 of Sciencepalooza rolled around Sept. 26 at Northridge Elementary School, representatives from such places as HawkQuest, The Butterfly Pavilion, the University of Colorado’s Science Discovery program and Agrium’s Seed Survivor Mobile all ventured to the school to entertain and educate fifth- and sixth-graders, while kindergartners and first- and second-graders headed to Miller Farms and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and third- and fourthgraders participated in hands-on classroom activities. The three-day program gives all students the chance to participate in each activity. Photos by Ryan Boldrey
From left, Northridge Elementary School sixth-graders Adam Consoer, Shelby Isenhart, Audra Craig, Samantha Eilert and Anthony Dougherty have all hands on deck with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s “Who Done It” forensics program on Sept. 26.
In an effort to become more energyefficient and save money, the Highlands Ranch Community Association has teamed with the Colorado Energy Office as part of a statewide pilot program that could help the organization for years to come. Nine months after the state of Colorado approved a $25,000 grant for the HRCA to undergo an energy audit, the association’s board of directors voted 4-0 Sept. 17 to partner with the awardwinning McKinstry energy company to move forward with a program guaranteed to save the association $163,000 annually for 10 years. The savings don’t stop there. There is an estimated $22,000 in operating costs to be saved each year, plus $131,000 in year-one energy rebates from Xcel Energy and an immediate savings of $404,000 on replacing major worn-out equipment by going through McKinstry, which is designing tailored, energy-efficient equipment to meet the HRCA’s needs. HRCA CEO Jerry Flannery introduced the idea to the delegate body in January, outlining a plan that would allow the organization to avoid dipping into its reserve fund for major expenditures such as PoolPaks and boilers, but instead finance 10 years’ worth of savings to pay for all future fixes. Flannery previously worked with McKinstry when he was employed as city manager for Commerce City. Audit continues on Page 27
Education tax plan debated at Highlands Ranch library School-finance proposal includes two-tiered hike By Jane Reuter
jreuter@ourcoloradonews.com Opponents call it the biggest income tax increase of our time, and say it’s a disproportionately designed, untested proposal. Proponents say Amendment 66 exacts a minimal fee that in the long run will translate into an improved economic scenario for all. Four people, including the co-author of the amendment, argued on both sides of the issue during a Sept. 26 Highlands Ranch library forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters as the upcoming election nears. In Douglas County, the amendment will cost residents more in taxes than it returns in increased school funding, opponents say. The ballot question will ask voters to
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approve a two-tiered income tax hike that would raise about $950 million for public school funding. Colorado’s current flat income tax of 4.63 percent would change to 5 percent for those earning $75,000 or less. Those above that mark would pay 5 percent on the first $75,000 and 5.9 percent on earnings above that. State Sen. Mike Johnston, who also led the charge for Colorado educator effectiveness law in 2012 — also known as Senate Bill 191 — said Amendment 66 will transform Colorado’s education funding. “Not just where those dollars go, but the results we get from those dollars,” he said during the forum. The money would fund full-day kindergarten, allow for schools to extend school days and/or calendar years, expand technology and education options, restore programs lost to budget cuts and change the funding formula to avert looming future financial snags. But opponent Steve Durham, a former Colorado senator, said there’s no proof the proposed changes will work as intended, adding that higher income taxes could deter productivity and ding the economy. “I’ve always come from the school that if you tax something, you’ll get a little less of it,” he said.
From left, state Sen. Mike Johnston, former state Sen. Steve Durham, Great Education Colorado director Liane Morrison and Jefferson County School Board member Laura Boggs talked about Amendment 66 in a Sept. 26 Highlands Ranch library forum. Photo by Jane Reuter Though he didn’t attend the Sept. 26 forum, school board member Kevin Larsen is an outspoken critic of the proposal. Because the incomes taxes proposed under Amendment 66 are tiered, the relatively af-
fluent residents of Douglas County will take a disproportionate hit, he said. “Ninety to $100 million of new taxes to School continues on Page 27