OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Castle Rock Town Council Meeting - February 3, 2026

Town Council — Tuesday, February 3, 2026
BodyCastle Rock, Colorado
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, February 3, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:18:06

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Good evening.

0:06

We'll open with the inv invocation.

0:08

Heavenly Father, we ask your guidance, wisdom, and support as we begin the beginning this meeting.

0:13

We gather here today intent on doing good work.

0:15

We seek to represent fairly and well those who are given this task.

0:19

Help us engage in meaningful discussion.

0:21

Give us clarity and strength to use our best skills and judgment.

0:24

Bless this community, its residents, its businesses, and its visitors.

0:28

And help us to continue doing good work in your name.

0:31

Amen.

0:33

Roll call, please.

0:35

Councilmember Hollingshead.

0:37

Here.

0:38

Councilmember Bracken.

0:39

Present.

0:39

Councilmember Davis.

0:40

Here.

0:41

Councilmember Brooks is not present.

0:44

Councilmember Deets.

0:46

Here.

0:46

Mayor Pro Tem KV.

0:48

Here.

0:48

Mayor Gray.

0:49

Here.

0:50

Please rise the president.

0:55

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:59

And to the Republic for which it stands.

1:04

Indivisible.

1:15

Mayor Dave watch.

1:19

Councilmember Brooks may be able to join us remotely.

1:29

Okay.

1:29

Thank you.

1:36

Okay.

1:37

So I'll go ahead and start with council comments.

1:40

A couple of things I want to talk about.

1:41

One was um for some reason lately I've had a few handful of people ask me like what my how much time or month monthly role is and stuff of that kind of stuff.

1:52

And I can tell you that the seven of us um put an awful lot of time in.

1:57

You know, we have uh a lot of different uh boards and commissions to be on.

2:02

Um and uh you know, and we all have full-time jobs, and so it's that's kind of hard to do sometimes, and and we're kind of pulled and pushed in different directions.

2:11

Um just for like the month of January, you know, I had uh uh Douglas County board retreat.

2:17

I had um three schools I went to, a couple wit w uh ribbon cuttings, um uh mayor summit for two days, EDC board, um, um the Douglas County of Governments meeting, CML summit, CML board, um and not not that uh it's a poor me type thing, it's just there's an awful lot of work going on um that that isn't seen behind the scenes from the from the seven of us.

2:44

Um you know and uh you know right around a hundred emails a day.

2:48

So it's just uh it's a lot.

2:50

And um and we're trying our best to get back to everybody.

2:52

I had somebody I didn't get back to for a couple days and finally got back to them and and uh so I do appreciate the patience and and uh believe me we are doing as much work as we can and we and whenever we can.

3:03

So I wanted to just mention that.

3:06

Also, um I wanted to propose a motion to uh have the star lit from July 4th, um, of course, with the 150-250 celebration um to Colorado Day, which is August 1st.

3:20

Um I've already walked us through the the fire chief, um, you know, the firefighters and fire personnel that volunteer to put the star up.

3:29

It's a lot of work.

3:30

Um and so I don't take this lightly.

3:32

Um but I think it's an important uh gesture to do it for those almost almost a month straight and from July 4th to August 1st.

3:40

Um it's a lot of work to do it, and I asked the chief and if the um if that would be something that he would he could do and he thinks he can do it, get it done with the with a volunteer.

3:48

So um I'll second that.

3:53

Excuse me, I was confident, it was probably you, Kevin.

3:56

But I just I I think that we we don't want to diminish the work that's being done out there.

4:00

We have a pretty good tradition from basically Thanksgiving starlighting until the end of the stock show.

4:05

Um I think we take that tradition seriously.

4:08

Um and so I want to make sure that everyone's on board with it and I have to appreciate it.

4:11

And I think it's uh something we don't do very often, so I think it's it'll be nice to do that.

4:15

Um I do have a first and a second roll call vote, please.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Land Use██████████████████18%
Youth Programs█████████████13%
Community Engagement████████████12%
Water And Wastewater Management████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Legislative Updates███3%
Pending Litigation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Castle Rock Town Council Meeting - February 3, 2026

The Castle Rock Town Council met on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Town Hall Council Chambers. All members were present except Councilmember Brooks (who joined remotely at 6:45 PM). The meeting covered a range of routine approvals, updates from the Youth Commission, legislative positions, development pre-applications, and several ordinances and resolutions. All votes were unanimous.

Council Comments & Motions

  • Star Lighting: Mayor Gray proposed lighting the town star from July 4 to August 1, 2026, in celebration of America's 250th anniversary and Colorado's 150th anniversary. The motion passed 6-0.
  • Daddy Daughter Dance: Councilmember Bracken moved to rename the Winter Ball back to the Daddy Daughter Dance and add a separate Mother Son dance. The motion passed 6-0.

Executive Session Report

  • Mayor Gray reported that an executive session was held on January 20, 2026, regarding legal advice on Douglas County School District property. No improper actions were noted.

Appointment: Board of Adjustment

  • Nicholas Moore was appointed to the Board of Adjustment for a partial term ending May 31, 2027, following a panel interview. The motion passed 6-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No unscheduled public appearances were made.

Town Manager's Report

  • Calendar Reminders: Upcoming events include the Fire Banquet (Feb. 7), Chamber Annual Banquet (Feb. 27), and neighborhood meetings for various developments.
  • Youth Commission and Rising Star Scholarship: Chair Evan George and Treasurer Jackson Young presented the Youth Commission's activities since its formation in September 2025. They highlighted community involvement, communication (monthly "The Brief" newsletter), engagement (Project Linus, Adopt a Child), and recognition awards. The Rising Star Scholarship offers $1,000 to Castle Rock seniors; applications open until March 31, 2026, with awards presented at the May 5 council meeting. Councilmembers praised the commission's rapid progress and presentation skills.
  • Legislative Update: Assistant Town Manager Kristin Read reported on new state bills. Council affirmed staff's recommended positions to oppose four bills: two related to immigration enforcement and minors (recommended by council), and two impacting law enforcement tools (drone activity and Flock system). Councilmember Brooks noted that House Bill 1001 (allowing residential units on church/school property) passed out of committee. The motion to affirm positions passed 6-0.
  • Residential Unit Data: Director of Development Services Tara Vargish noted that the town's population was projected at approximately 88,000 as of December 31, 2025. A more detailed quarterly update will be provided next month.
  • Development Services Project Updates: Pre-applications were reported for: a poll barn at Castleview High School (District 1), a Verizon stealth cell tower near Foothills Drive (District 3), a cell tower at P.S. Miller Park (District 3), a subdivision at Jerry and Fourth Street (District 4), and a Chick-fil-A drive-thru in Dawson Trails (District 6). Mayor Pro Tem Cavey stated she would recuse herself from votes on Verizon-related items due to her employment.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously (6-0):
    • Ordinance 2026-003: First Amendment to Dawson Trails Development Agreement (second reading).
    • Resolution 2026-010: Engagement of Eide Bailly, LLP, for FY2025 independent annual audit.
    • Resolution 2026-011: Settlement agreement with Ohio Casualty Insurance for the Craig and Gould North Infrastructure Improvements Project.
    • Minutes of January 20, 2026.

Discussion Items

  • Ordinance 2026-004 (Second Reading): Amending the Municipal Code regarding board/commission membership, absences, term limits, and meetings. Key changes: all board members must be town residents (with a preference exception for Public Arts Commission), absences (excused or unexcused) exceeding 26% of meetings in a 12-month period result in automatic removal, three-year terms with a two-term limit. Director of Castle Rock Water Mark Marlowe presented a proposed remote attendance policy for the Water Commission allowing up to three remote attendances per 12-month rolling period; exceeding that or combined absences/remote attendances over five results in removal. The policy will come to council for approval at a future meeting. The ordinance passed 7-0.
  • Ordinance 2026-005 (First Reading): Amending Chapter 2.16 regarding the Planning Commission to clarify the town code supersedes state regulations and reinforce the commission's advisory role on the comprehensive master plan. Councilmember Cavey requested a future discussion on the Planning Commission's substantive feedback role beyond checking code compliance. The ordinance passed 7-0.
  • Resolution 2026-012: Approving the Amended and Restated Intergovernmental Agreement for Water Service with Dominion Water and Sanitation District. The agreement updates accounting and clarifies renewable water replacement fees. Dominion has invested $6.6 million in the town's system and will pay an additional $750,000 over five years. The current rate is $648 per thousand gallons. The resolution passed 7-0.
  • Resolution 2026-013: Approving a Services Agreement with Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company for Arc Flash Safety Assessment Services across the Castle Rock Water service area. The assessment covers 1,468 major electrical items, including updating one-line diagrams for older facilities. Cost includes a 5% contingency; a first-quarter budget amendment will be needed. The resolution passed 7-0.

Key Outcomes

  • All motions and resolutions passed unanimously (6-0 before Brooks arrived, 7-0 after).
  • Council directed staff to light the star from July 4 to August 1 for the dual anniversaries.
  • The Winter Ball will revert to the Daddy Daughter Dance, and a Mother Son dance will be added.
  • Nicholas Moore appointed to the Board of Adjustment.
  • Staff's legislative positions on four opposed bills were affirmed.
  • Ordinance 2026-004 adopted on second reading, with a remote attendance policy for the Water Commission to be brought for approval later.
  • Ordinance 2026-005 approved on first reading.
  • Both water-related resolutions (IGA with Dominion and Arc Flash contract) approved.
  • Meeting adjourned at 7:19 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. We'll open with the inv invocation. Heavenly Father, we ask your guidance, wisdom, and support as we begin the beginning this meeting. We gather here today intent on doing good work. We seek to represent fairly and well those who are given this task. Help us engage in meaningful discussion. Give us clarity and strength to use our best skills and judgment. Bless this community, its residents, its businesses, and its visitors. And help us to continue doing good work in your name. Amen. Roll call, please. Councilmember Hollingshead. Here. Councilmember Bracken. Present. Councilmember Davis. Here. Councilmember Brooks is not present. Councilmember Deets. Here. Mayor Pro Tem KV. Here. Mayor Gray. Here. Please rise the president. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. Indivisible. Mayor Dave watch. Councilmember Brooks may be able to join us remotely. Okay. Thank you. Okay. So I'll go ahead and start with council comments. A couple of things I want to talk about. One was um for some reason lately I've had a few handful of people ask me like what my how much time or month monthly role is and stuff of that kind of stuff. And I can tell you that the seven of us um put an awful lot of time in. You know, we have uh a lot of different uh boards and commissions to be on. Um and uh you know, and we all have full-time jobs, and so it's that's kind of hard to do sometimes, and and we're kind of pulled and pushed in different directions. Um just for like the month of January, you know, I had uh uh Douglas County board retreat. I had um three schools I went to, a couple wit w uh ribbon cuttings, um uh mayor summit for two days, EDC board, um, um the Douglas County of Governments meeting, CML summit, CML board, um and not not that uh it's a poor me type thing, it's just there's an awful lot of work going on um that that isn't seen behind the scenes from the from the seven of us. Um you know and uh you know right around a hundred emails a day. So it's just uh it's a lot. And um and we're trying our best to get back to everybody. I had somebody I didn't get back to for a couple days and finally got back to them and and uh so I do appreciate the patience and and uh believe me we are doing as much work as we can and we and whenever we can. So I wanted to just mention that. Also, um I wanted to propose a motion to uh have the star lit from July 4th, um, of course, with the 150-250 celebration um to Colorado Day, which is August 1st. Um I've already walked us through the the fire chief, um, you know, the firefighters and fire personnel that volunteer to put the star up. It's a lot of work. Um and so I don't take this lightly.

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