WEEK OF MAY 15, 2025
VOLUME 24 | ISSUE 11
FREE
Home-rule plan spurs contentious discourse Douglas County voters face big decision in June BY JULIA KING SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Douglas County voters are set to make a rare decision next month as they weigh whether to rewrite the rules of county government. Officials agree it could be a historic moment for the county — but they’re divided on what’s at stake. At the center of the debate is a proposal for Douglas to become a home rule county, allowing it to adopt its own governing charter. Supporters say home rule is a necessary tool to protect local interests from what they view as overreach by liberal state lawmakers. Critics argue the process has been rushed and risks entrenching a narrow political agenda. During a four-minute special meeting on March 25, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners voted to place home rule on the ballot for a June 24 special election. Voters will be asked two questions: whether to form a home rule charter and to elect 21 charter commission members who would be tasked with writing it. If the commission is approved and seated, the drafted charter would return to voters for approval in November. If approved, Douglas County would become just the third of Colorado’s 64 counties to enter home rule status — and the first in nearly 50 years to do so.
dience as she performed the 1920s hit. According to McGuire and VanderLinden, Berkey’s energy and mental clarity at 105 continues to impress them and their church group, of which Berkey is a leader. McGuire said Berkey still keeps up with church group readings and actively participates in group studies. “She’s like a 60-year-old,” said VanderLinden. “The only thing that’s different about her is that she might walk slower. Other than that, she’s sharp as a tack.”
Home rule charters outline how a county or municipal government is structured, and they grant authority over more than 40 specific areas, from reorganizing departments and defining election processes to setting local public safety and transportation rules, taxes, term limits and salaries. Counties can use that power to tailor policies to local needs — for example, Pitkin County taxes luxury real estate. Pitkin and Weld are the only two Colorado counties with home-rule status that are not combined cities and counties. If home rule passes in the June special election in Douglas County, the charter’s contents would be open
SEE BERKEY, P20
SEE HOME RULE, P8
Castle Rock community members, including members of Castle Rock’s police and fire departments, celebrate Evelyn Berkey’s 105th birthday. COURTESY PHOTO
Lesson of long life: ‘Be bold’
Evelyn Berkey celebrates 105th birthday in Castle Rock BY FRANK DEANGELI SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Due to COVID restrictions in 2020, Evelyn Berkey’s 100th birthday party had to be converted from a country club bash to a drive-by caravan of well wishers. This April, however, more than 100 Castle Rock community members came
together in person to celebrate another milestone: Berkey’s 105th. Kanna McGuire and Charlee VanderLinden, party organizers and Berkey’s longtime friends, said the event went off without a hitch. Highlights included a slideshow of pictures from Berkey’s life, appearances from Castle Rock’s police and fire departments, and, as is tradition at Berkey’s parties, a performance of “Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue” sung by the birthday girl herself. “Here’s Evelyn up there, sort of tapping, dancing away,” said McGuire. Videos show Berkey beaming at her au-
VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 16 | CALENDAR: 19 | PUZZLES: 23
What home rule could change — and what it can’t
LONETREEVOICE.NET • A PUBLICATION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA