Board Retreats on Plan to Become Part of WP School District
Rick Langenberg
The Green Mountain Falls Board of Trustees are still mulling significant ballot issues for the forthcoming election, but they aren’t getting much help from the public.
The board recently conducted a public meeting that featured only a handful of participating residents. Still, the trustees are plodding along in setting the stage for what could become a very impactful election in November. At their public workshop, nearly 10 ideas emerged dealing with potential ballot measures, or key future pursuits the town should consider. At the same time, a number of comments were voiced regarding such touchy issues as junk cars, illegal parking, sewer woes, school district funding and tourism over-reach
Commanding center stage as a potential ballot issue could be a question pertaining to what type of government residents would prefer, or more specifically, do they want to continue the current town managerial setup.
Trustee Sunde King continued to emphasize that this question has been lingering for years, with no real resolution. “It has never been put out there,” said King, in response to a question by a former planning commission member. “It was an issue with the residents. We don’t want this to be overlooked.”
She cautioned that whatever option is chosen, it would not affect the contract of current Town Manager Caleb Patterson, which extends through 2027. It would deal with a more future setup, noted King.
But the idea of this type of ballot proposition didn’t meet much enthusiasm from Mayor Todd Dixon. “Do we want to be locked in,” questioned the mayor.
If the town explores this type of ballot proposition, residents could be asked to decide if they want to continue the current town manager setup, or implement a strong mayoral style of government, currently done in Pueblo and Colorado Springs; or even revisit their more traditional trustee-liaison format, which is how the town operated for years.
According to Patterson, most small towns in Colorado, similar in size and character to GMF, do operate through a town manager/administrator setup. Trustee Sean Ives, though, countered in noting that GMF is extremely unique.
The other top question of concerns deals with a possible sales small tax, which could generate $100,000 annually. This could give the community a little extra money to invest in capital improvements and possibly road enhancements. Plus, some concerns have been voiced by leaders pertaining to an emergency cushion the town may need in case of a disaster, such as if the town’s top businesses and restaurants were shut down from a fire for an extended period, which almost occurred in 2025.
School District Change Off The Table For Now
One possible ballot option that appears off the table now involves a bold idea of petitioning to become part of the Woodland Park School District as a significant tax-savings. Dixon, who mentioned this idea previously, contended that the obstacles in attempting such a move are quite overwhelming. And based on the online response to an article in TMJ News on this possibility, many former community leaders are strongly against this idea. In addition, many locals favor the Manitou School District, even if it has a rather high mill levy. The mayor cited the extremely high percentage of local taxes that go to the Manitou school district compared to Woodland Park as a reason to research this idea more.
Also, off the table for any vote consideration will most likely be any type of question for funding a better wastewater treatment solution due to costs. Trustee Ives said the best answer to this problem would involve federal intervention or some type of partnership with the government. The only realistic sewer-related arrangement could involve extending a current line, through the assistance of Colorado Springs Utilities, down to Old Colorado City. And the cost of this possibility would exceed the $1.5 million mark, noted Dixon The only other options could involve annexation of nearby communities, and this idea has been consistently frowned on by residents throughout the Ute Pass.
But this issue of septic limitations has commanded continual attention and is currently being discussed extensively in El Paso County due to approved state regulations. These changes could have big impacts for current property owners, especially when it comes to transferring ownership titles.
A few residents, meanwhile, asked about more cooperation when it comes to addressing such issues as junk cars, illegal parking, and even questions were asked about the town’s ticket situation and if GMF would experience another massive Green Box art installation leading to 100,000-plus in visitors. They contended the town was maxed out in visitors last summer.
These issues will be discussed in more detail in the next few months.
But the clock is ticking, if the town wants to present the residents with formal ballot issues for the November election, which will be coordinated with El Paso and Teller counties. The town must have proposed ballot issues in place by mid-summer, according to most estimates. During the forthcoming election, besides pending ballot propositions, three trustee seats and a mayoral position are up for grabs.
