THORNTON — Frustration and pique at Adams County has raised the question of whether this city should become its own county.
While he understands the sentiment, former Mayor Erik Hansen, now an Adams County commissioner, said it isn’t a good idea.
“I know there is frustration with the jail-fee issue, but I think (the county proposal) is an extreme response,” Hansen said. “It’s just going to cost taxpayers more money to go that route.”
Thornton residents are being asked in the city’s annual phone survey whether the city should break away from Adams. The survey is of 100 residents within each of its four wards.
The county question was put on the survey at the request of Councilman Randy Drennen. Results are expected after the first of the year.
City officials say the question was prompted by a controversial decision to cap the number of inmates at the Adams County jail.
Starting Jan. 1, the county will begin charging cities $45 a day for each inmate that exceeds the cap. The county says the fee is needed to bridge a $7 million to $9 million shortfall in the county budget.
However, several cities — including Thornton — have complained that they already pay for jail services through property taxes and the county is trying to solve its budget problems by introducing a new, unneeded fee.
“I think our council members are asking what’s next after the jail cap, what else is the county going to come back and ask us to pay for?” said newly elected Thornton Mayor Heidi Williams.
Thornton staff members also are asking neighboring Broomfield about the process of becoming a city and county. Broomfield took that plunge 10 years ago.
“Before moving forward with anything, we wanted to put it on the survey and see what residents wanted,” Williams said.
But Hansen, who served as a Thornton council member and mayor for nine years, said it wouldn’t make good fiscal sense for the city to break away.
Thornton would have to build its own jail as well as provide other county services, he said.
“There is not much more additional tax revenue they can count on to pay for this,” Hansen said. “It’s quite an expensive undertaking, and I don’t think the city can afford it.”
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907
