Highlands Ranch – Leaders of the state’s largest subdivision will consider asking residents whether to consolidate four governing boards into one.
If voters approved such a proposal, the number of elected positions would be reduced from five for each of the four metro districts to a single entity of seven that would oversee the entire development of 81,000.
The four Highlands Ranch boards will meet Sept. 27 to decide whether to begin the process that would lead to a public vote, possibly in May or November of next year.
Each metro district is a quasi- government entity that can borrow money and oversee an array of public services – from road maintenance to fire protection – for its designated area.
Officials say combining the four districts would save about $45,000 a year in pay for board members, legal fees, insurance and other costs, as well as produce interest savings by consolidating debt.
Terry Nolan, general manager of the metro districts, says any financial benefit would be a trade-off – representation for dollars.
“Going from 20 board members to seven means that it’s less likely you will have an elected representative from your neighborhood, and that’s something to think about,” he said.
Residents should look closely at how consolidation could affect their neighborhoods, said Sam Mamet, associate director of the Colorado Municipal League. Some areas will take on debt belonging to others, and services may improve in some areas and diminish elsewhere, he said.
“If I lived out there, I would be paying attention to the shades of gray – how it affects my street,” Mamet said.
If the boards are consolidated, the move would be a dramatic change in the existing government, as all of Highlands Ranch would be governed by a board similar to a city council. And, government experts said, the community would move a giant step closer to becoming a city.
“As a city, you have a mayor and a council that can sit down with governors, senators and all manner of heads of state,” Mamet said. “You’re looked at a lot different than if you’re a collection of special districts or homeowners associations.”
The region already has a rich tax base, ample water supplies (rare for this region), a cache of powerful state leaders in its neighborhoods and a well- known name.
If Highlands Ranch incorporated, it would instantly become the largest municipality in Douglas County, more than twice the population of Parker or Castle Rock. Nolan often gets questions from residents about incorporation when he explains consolidation, but he says one won’t necessarily lead to another.
“This is about the metro districts alone,” he said. “Becoming a city is another level of government.”
Allen Dreher, chairman of Metro District 1, favors consolidation for the savings and efficiency of governing through one board instead of four.
But incorporation brings other challenges, Dreher added, including how to provide police and fire services. Incorporation nearly always leads to higher taxes, which most residents oppose, he said.
“There’s really no reason to (incorporate) at this point,” Dreher said.
Since its inception in 1981, Highlands Ranch has evolved from a typical suburban outpost to one of the largest unincorporated communities in the country, with 22,000 acres, 26,293 houses and 3,305 apartments.
The consolidation issue, itself, is a product of community evolution, said Evan Goulding, executive director of the Special District Association of Colorado. The metro districts were formed to manage growth in new neighborhoods. As the districts reduce debt and grow into equal partners, it makes sense to consolidate, Goulding added.
“Once the finances come into sync, then the need for the (districts) becomes less important, and the need for a spirit of community becomes more important,” he said.
To the best of Goulding’s recollection, metro districts have never consolidated in Colorado. Special districts, however, those that provide a single service such as water or sewer for an unincorporated area, consolidate frequently, he said.
Colorado has about 1,400 special districts, 500 of which are metro districts. Of those, fewer than 30 have a relationship similar to the four metro districts in Highlands Ranch, he said.
E.W. Skaggs, a retired real estate broker who has lived in Highlands Ranch for 12 years, said he hasn’t made up his mind on the consolidation. He wonders whether the plan is a new invitation to old-fashioned politics, whereby areas with the most expensive homes and the best politicians have the most influence.
“Well, their grass is going to be greener, I’ll put it that way,” Skaggs said.
But he also is concerned that his neighbors aren’t even thinking about the issue. He attended a meeting about consolidation recently, and hardly anyone showed up.
His worries seemed valid last week in Highlands Ranch’s “town center,” a collection of businesses designed to create the appearance of a town square.
Of 12 residents interviewed Friday, only two had heard of the consolidation issue.
“We’re not a city already?” said Jessica Martin, 22, a lifelong resident.
Staff writer Joey Bunch can be reached at 303-820-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com.
