OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Castle Rock Town Council Meeting - April 16, 2024

Town Council — Tuesday, April 16, 2024
BodyCastle Rock, Colorado
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, April 16, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:34:58

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Uh we thro we pray through collaborating that we experience greater wholeness for ourselves and for those we serve.

0:07

Bless the work we do together so that an abundant harvest of your love and justice and peace will be known by all.

0:13

Amen.

0:15

Call to order, roll call.

0:17

Councilmember Hollingshead.

0:19

Here.

0:20

Councilmember KV?

0:21

Yes.

0:22

Councilmember Bracken.

0:23

Present.

0:24

Councilmember Brooks.

0:25

Present.

0:25

Councilmember Deeds?

0:26

Here.

0:26

Mayor Pratemala Floor.

0:28

Here.

0:28

Mayor Gray.

0:29

Here.

0:30

All are present.

0:31

Thank you.

0:31

Please rise to budget legions.

0:45

Under God in the indivisible.

0:49

Justice Raw.

1:00

I'm gonna go ahead and start with council comments.

1:03

Um my first comment is again, thanks for everyone for coming.

1:07

Um secondly, I'd I'd like to um ask the council to be supportive of of um my request of of uh the town council and of um our town attorney.

1:20

Uh I want to but look how our town attorney look into the option of opting in um to the county's ordinance um and to kind of re report back to us um and for like next steps with that.

1:34

Also looking into like maybe uh perhaps a support for their their lawsuit as well.

1:39

And if you can get back to us on May 7th with uh a quick report from yourself and um and Jack Collie if Jack is as amendable as well, that'd be fantastic.

1:49

Second and uh absolutely I'm happy to to do that, take a look at what our options are and provide you with a report and some advice.

1:59

And uh we should be able to have it done plenty of time for this.

2:04

Thank you.

2:04

And then maybe you can give us a little bit of a uh heads up uh emails in the meantime, and then we can that way we can all discuss it with with intelligence.

2:13

Uh advised as to our progress.

2:14

I appreciate it.

2:16

Um for any further discussion.

2:18

I'd like to speak in favor of the motion.

2:19

Yep.

2:20

Yeah, I think um I think the the connection between the the county's action and the um and the overall subject.

2:31

Um now that they have taken the action, I've spoken with uh a couple of the uh county commissioners and um they urged us to uh basically support their position and to be able to have uh uh a united front.

2:45

So I think it's uh I think it's a uh a fair and reasonable ask given our collaboration uh and um so anyways, I I'd like to I'd like to see what comes back and and move forward from there.

2:57

Thank you.

2:58

Laura Cavey.

3:00

I am also in support of this motion.

3:02

Um just for those of you out there for your edification.

3:06

Douglas County, I don't know, several weeks ago adopted an ordinance to help deal with illegal immigrants.

3:14

Um the ordinance, however, only is for unincorporated Douglas County.

3:19

So it does not currently uh affect municipalities like Parker, Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Lone Tree.

3:26

So that's why we need to either opt into that ordinance or we need to make our own ordinance um one way or the other, we need to do something moving forward.

3:38

So I I am uh very much in support of this and and thank the mayor for bringing it up.

3:45

Thank you.

3:46

Max Brooks.

3:46

Yeah, just quickly, I mean that's the beauty, right?

3:48

Of being a home rule municipality uh is is that you know Douglas County is Highlands Ranch, you know, that's what they get to control.

3:55

That's where the uh Douglas County Sheriff's Office, with the exception of you know, Council Pines has to have his own police department, but so they rely on DCSO there.

4:02

But yeah, that's the that's the beauty of being real home rule municipality, and uh it absolutely 100%.

4:08

It's something that we need to to look at.

4:10

Uh and I know that other municipalities are doing the same.

4:13

So thank you.

4:14

Thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use███████████████████████████████████████39%
Procedural█████████████13%
Water And Wastewater Management██████████10%
Miscellaneous██████6%
Public Engagement██████6%
Immigration Policy█████5%
Legal and Judicial████4%
Legislative Updates███3%
Homelessness███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Castle Rock Town Council Meeting - April 16, 2024

On April 16, 2024, the Castle Rock Town Council convened at 6:00 PM in Town Hall Council Chambers. The seven-member council (with Councilmember Hollingshead attending remotely) took significant actions including approving the acquisition of Lost Canyon Ranch, authorizing annexation of town-owned parcels, adopting a resolution for a WISE pump station intergovernmental agreement, and voting to opt into Douglas County’s ordinance regarding local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Public comments, multiple resolutions, and a quasi-judicial hearing were addressed over the 1.5-hour meeting.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved 7 items unanimously (6-0, with Mayor Pro Tem LaFleur absent):
    • First Amendment to the Parking Lease Agreement with The Move LLC
    • Waiver of bidding and ambulance acquisition agreement with BNT Enterprises/Peak Motor Coach
    • Services agreement with Burns & McDonnell for Front Street Downtown Connection, RWRWTC pump upgrades, and Liggett Road pipe upsize projects
    • Proclamations: Peace Officers Memorial Day (May 7 presentation), Historic Preservation Month (May 2024), Ducky Derby Month (June 2024)
    • Minutes of April 2, 2024

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dana Bonham thanked the council for considering opting into the county ordinance, expressed alarm over state legislation (assault weapon ban, occupancy limit repeal, budget cuts to law enforcement), and urged partnership with neighboring towns. She requested clarification on home-rule protections.
  • Marne Hanson (Castle Rock Parks and Trails Foundation) read a statement strongly supporting the acquisition of Lost Canyon Ranch, praising the collaboration between the Town, Douglas County, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), the Conservation Fund, and Douglas Land Conservancy.

Discussion Items

  • Arbor Day Proclamation (2024-003): Already approved on April 2, 2024 (7-0). Mayor Gray read it into the record.
  • Council Comments – Opting into County Immigration Ordinance: Mayor Gray moved to have the Town Attorney study the option of opting into Douglas County’s ordinance and supporting their lawsuit regarding local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration agencies. Councilmembers expressed support, noting the ordinance currently only applies to unincorporated areas. The motion passed 7-0.
  • Legislative Update (Kristin Read, Assistant Town Manager):
    • HB24-1007 (occupancy limits repeal) signed into law, effective July 1, 2024.
    • Several bills opposed by the Town (youth sports personnel, ADUs, single-exit stairways, minimum parking, transit-oriented communities, water impact fees) were tracked; the single-exit stairway bill was postponed indefinitely.
    • Supported bills: construction defects (passed Senate), sustainable affordable housing (headed to Senate floor), greywater bill, and a digital accessibility grace period.
    • Mayor Gray requested a consolidated summary of passed legislation and what the Town can challenge.
    • Councilmember Cavey asked about home-rule authority; Town Manager David Corliss said responses would be case-by-case.
    • Councilmember Brooks opined that the assault weapon ban likely will not pass the Senate; organizations are prepared to sue if it does.
  • Town Attorney’s Report (Mike Hyman): Alerted council to the April 22, 2024, U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments in Grants Pass v. Johnson, addressing homelessness and camping bans with civil fines—an important case for local governments.
  • Election District Designation for Annexed Properties: Noted as completed by the Election Commission; no council action required.
  • Development Services Project Updates: Included neighborhood meeting schedules for Sandstone Care, Salina, City Hotel, car dealership, and Emerald Hills projects.
  • Quasi-Judicial Hearing – Mount Royal Site Development Plan (RES 2024-041):
    • Proposal for three single-family lots on Mount Royal Drive (Plum Creek Golf Course hole 5). Staff and Planning Commission recommended approval (5-0). The applicant (Mike Tulfeson) presented. No public comments. Council approved 6-0 (Hollingshead absent).
  • Annexation Resolution (RES 2024-040): Approving substantial compliance of petitions for four annexations of town-owned right-of-way parcels (Four Corners, South Ridge Road No. 1 & 2, Gilbert Street/Plum Creek Parkway). Staff recommended setting the eligibility hearing for June 4, 2024. No public comments. Passed 6-0.
  • Lost Canyon Ranch Acquisition (two resolutions):
    • RES 2024-042: Purchase, Sale, and Management Agreement with The Conservation Fund. Total cost $15,997,432, funded by Douglas County ($5.5M), GOCO grant ($3M), Conservation Fund donation ($200,000), Town General Fund ($4.75M), and cash-in-lieu funds. The 680-acre property will be preserved with a conservation easement; trails and public access likely in 18-24 months after master planning. Councilmember Brooks noted the property is twice the size of Philip S. Miller Park. Passed 6-0.
    • RES 2024-043: Intergovernmental Agreement with Douglas County for a $5.5M financial contribution to the acquisition. Passed 6-0.
  • WISE Pump Station IGA (RES 2024-044): Approving cost-sharing for a pump station at Parker Water & Sanitation District’s Rueter-Hess facility. Castle Rock Water’s share ~$8.1M of $14.8M low bid. Will also serve Box Elder water. Construction begins summer 2024, completion summer 2025. Passed 6-0.

Key Outcomes

  • Voted 7-0 to instruct the Town Attorney to explore opting into Douglas County’s immigration enforcement ordinance and supporting the county’s lawsuit, with a report due May 7, 2024.
  • Approved RES 2024-041 (Mount Royal site plan) 6-0.
  • Approved RES 2024-040 (annexation substantial compliance and hearing date) 6-0.
  • Approved RES 2024-042 (Lost Canyon Ranch purchase) 6-0.
  • Approved RES 2024-043 (Douglas County IGA for Lost Canyon) 6-0.
  • Approved RES 2024-044 (WISE pump station IGA) 6-0.
  • Adjourned at 7:36 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Uh we thro we pray through collaborating that we experience greater wholeness for ourselves and for those we serve. Bless the work we do together so that an abundant harvest of your love and justice and peace will be known by all. Amen. Call to order, roll call. Councilmember Hollingshead. Here. Councilmember KV? Yes. Councilmember Bracken. Present. Councilmember Brooks. Present. Councilmember Deeds? Here. Mayor Pratemala Floor. Here. Mayor Gray. Here. All are present. Thank you. Please rise to budget legions. Under God in the indivisible. Justice Raw. I'm gonna go ahead and start with council comments. Um my first comment is again, thanks for everyone for coming. Um secondly, I'd I'd like to um ask the council to be supportive of of um my request of of uh the town council and of um our town attorney. Uh I want to but look how our town attorney look into the option of opting in um to the county's ordinance um and to kind of re report back to us um and for like next steps with that. Also looking into like maybe uh perhaps a support for their their lawsuit as well. And if you can get back to us on May 7th with uh a quick report from yourself and um and Jack Collie if Jack is as amendable as well, that'd be fantastic. Second and uh absolutely I'm happy to to do that, take a look at what our options are and provide you with a report and some advice. And uh we should be able to have it done plenty of time for this. Thank you. And then maybe you can give us a little bit of a uh heads up uh emails in the meantime, and then we can that way we can all discuss it with with intelligence. Uh advised as to our progress. I appreciate it. Um for any further discussion. I'd like to speak in favor of the motion. Yep. Yeah, I think um I think the the connection between the the county's action and the um and the overall subject. Um now that they have taken the action, I've spoken with uh a couple of the uh county commissioners and um they urged us to uh basically support their position and to be able to have uh uh a united front. So I think it's uh I think it's a uh a fair and reasonable ask given our collaboration uh and um so anyways, I I'd like to I'd like to see what comes back and and move forward from there. Thank you. Laura Cavey. I am also in support of this motion. Um just for those of you out there for your edification. Douglas County, I don't know, several weeks ago adopted an ordinance to help deal with illegal immigrants. Um the ordinance, however, only is for unincorporated Douglas County. So it does not currently uh affect municipalities like Parker, Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Lone Tree. So that's why we need to either opt into that ordinance or we need to make our own ordinance um one way or the other, we need to do something moving forward. So I I am uh very much in support of this and and thank the mayor for bringing it up.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com