Castle Rock Town Council Meeting - June 16, 2026
Castle Rock Town Council Meeting - June 16, 2026
The Castle Rock Town Council met on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Town Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included council comments, appointments to boards and commissions, a public appearance on trail expansion, presentation of the 2025 audited financial reports, a legislative update, and an update on the Tallgrass water infrastructure project. The council also discussed a motion to investigate Kratom sales, approved the consent calendar, awarded community grants, and held an executive session for performance evaluations of the Town Manager and Town Attorney, resulting in salary increases.
Council Comments
- Mayor Gray encouraged lifting each other up, noting recent personal tragedies in the community.
- Councilmember Hollingshead praised the Police Citizen Academy and the leadership group of second-year students for their community improvement ideas.
- Councilmember Bracken looked forward to the 4th of July and wished everyone a safe holiday.
- Councilmember Davis requested a larger flag for the top of the Rock for the 250th anniversary; staff explained that a larger flag would not withstand wind conditions on the rock and that it was too late for July 4. He also discussed parking in the county garage: after speaking with Commissioner Teal, plans were made to have nearby apartment residents park on the top floor (card-key access) and open the bottom floor to the public with improved signage.
- Councilmember Brooks noted lighter traffic on Plum Creek Boulevard to I-25.
- Councilmember Dietz announced the opening of the northbound on-ramp and off-ramp of the Crystal Valley interchange on the east side of I-25 on the previous Friday, already showing traffic improvements. Town Manager Corliss stated this was the Town's project, costing $145 million, and credited staff and council.
- Mayor Pro Tem Cavey reminded residents of the upcoming car show (Friday/Saturday) and the Ducky Derby the following Sunday to raise funds for community needs.
- Councilmember Bracken wished everyone a Happy Father's Day.
- Motion to investigate Kratom sales: Councilmember Brooks moved to direct staff to investigate Kratom sales in Castle Rock, including education on what it is, benefits, potential misuses, and impact on businesses if sales were prohibited. The motion passed 7-0 (Gray, Cavey, Hollingshead, Bracken, Davis, Brooks, Dietz all yes).
Appointments
- APPT 2026-006: Appointments to the Design Review Board, Downtown Development Authority Board, Election Commission, and Public Art Commission were approved unanimously (7-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jon and Mabel Lontai addressed the council on increasing trails. Jon stated that Philip S. Miller Park has 8 miles of single-track trails nearing 15 years old while Castle Rock's population has doubled. He advocated for partnering with nonprofit advocacy groups like COMBA to alleviate administrative constraints and apply for grants. He provided academic studies showing that money spent on trails generates economic value exceeding construction costs within 2-5 years. He emphasized that outdoor recreation brands are located in Castle Rock and that trails support coffee shops, retail, and hotels. He also referenced the 2025 resident survey (page 96) where walking/biking paths were mentioned most often as desired park offerings. He stated he is not against the Lost Canyon trails and is on the same team as parks and rec.
Town Manager's Report
- Calendar Reminders (ID 2026-070): Upcoming events included employee appreciation breakfast (June 17), Juneteenth holiday (June 19), Colorado Municipal League conference (June 17-19), mural dedication at Rio at the Rock (June 24), Independence Day celebrations, and Lost Canyon Ranch open space dedication (July 8). Staff also noted several neighborhood meetings for developments in Dawson Trails and Wellspring annexation.
Presentation of 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR)** (ID 2026-072)
- Trish Muller, Director of Finance, and Janeen Hathcock of Eide Bailly (the new auditor) presented the audit results. The town received a clean, unmodified opinion—the best possible. A restatement was made for a correction of an error found by management in prior year financial statements; the opinion was not impacted. One material weakness was identified related to the restatement. No disagreements with management occurred. Councilmember Gray called it the cleanest audit in his eight audit committee meetings. Councilmember Brooks noted Eide Bailly works with the Office of the State Auditor, adding credibility. Councilmember Dietz appreciated a fresh set of eyes. The PAFR is an 18-page document summarizing financial trends and strategic priorities and is posted online.
2026 General Assembly Legislative Update** (ID 2026-073)
- Kristin Read, Assistant Town Manager, reported that ~450 bills passed this session, 12 vetoed, resulting in ~440 new laws. The town supported 11 bills, 5 passed; opposed 18, 6 signed into law. Discussion on HB 1001 (Housing Developments on Qualifying Properties): Town Manager Corliss stated he, Town Attorney Mike Hyman, and Development Services Director Tara Vargish are meeting to discuss Home Rule opt-out options. Regarding school-designated property, Corliss clarified that the Town owns the property until a school is built, then it is deeded to the school district; no reversionary instruments exist, so HB 1001 does not apply to Castle Rock’s designated school sites. Councilmember Dietz noted over 400 new laws this year.
Tallgrass Infrastructure Development and Water Lease Agreement Update** (ID 2026-074)
- Mark Marlowe, Director of Castle Rock Water, provided an update. The project involves the Lost Creek/Box Elder basins in Weld County. Phase I infrastructure (11 wells, 9 miles of collection piping, control systems) is nearly complete. The Town will purchase Phase I for $15 million (budgeted) because a deadline for Phase 1B and 2 could not be met due to new information that the East Cherry Creek Valley Water Treatment Plant cannot treat Castle Rock’s water (groundwater under the influence of surface water). Options now include treating water on site and piping it south, or partnering with Aurora Water to use a regional desalination facility. Marlowe explained that building separate desalination facilities would be costly: a 12 million gallon-per-day plant costs ~$270M. The Town holds 22% of the WISE project, so a regional facility (e.g., with Aurora and WISE) would be cheaper. Councilmember Dietz asked about the BB Draw watershed area; Marlowe clarified that groundwater there is not under surface water influence, so that plant can treat it, but Castle Rock’s water is different. Mayor Pro Tem Cavey asked about desalination costs: Marlowe stated a regional facility would be less than $270M, but specific costs are not yet ready for public release.
Consent Calendar
- Items approved unanimously (7-0):
- ORD 2026-019: Repealing and reenacting Chapter 2.01 of the Municipal Code regarding conduct of Town elections (Second Reading).
- RES 2026-071: Services agreement with Tetra Tech, Inc. for Phase VI of the SCADA Master Plan Design Project.
- RES 2026-072: Waiving formal written bidding on a sole-source basis and approving an on-call equipment and service agreement with Evoqua Water Technologies LLC.
- RES 2026-073: True-up payment for WISE DIA Connection Project invoice from South Metro WISE Authority.
- PROC 2026-010: Proclamation for Smart Irrigation Month – July 2026 (presentation scheduled for July 7, 2026).
- MIN 2026-017: Approval of minutes from June 2, 2026 Town Council meeting.
Discussion/Direction: Council Community Grant Program – Second Quarter Applicants** (DIR 2026-017)
- Trish Muller presented the program overview. The council increased the total grant pool to $20,000 (from $16,000) in December 2025. Quarter one awarded $3,000, leaving $17,000 available. Three eligible applicants were considered for $1,000 each:
- Castle Country Assisted Living (Castle Rock nonprofit): Funds for outdoor therapeutic space improvements at Valley House.
- Agewise Colorado (Denver-based, seeking to expand to Castle Rock): Funds to increase local awareness and grow monthly users from 56 to 100.
- A Precious Child (Broomfield-based, serves Castle Rock children): Funds for the Resource Bridge program.
- Bob Braker of Agewise Colorado spoke, highlighting their free website with vetted service providers (1,400+) and monthly webinars. He left informational cards.
- Councilmember Brooks confirmed that if five Castle Rock-based applicants had applied, out-of-town applicants would not have been considered. Mayor Pro Tem Cavey noted three applicants were referred to the Public Art Commission. The motion to approve funding as presented passed 7-0.
Key Outcomes
- Kratom investigation: Council directed staff to investigate Kratom sales and report back (motion passed 7-0).
- Board appointments: Approved unanimously.
- Tallgrass Phase I purchase: The Town will proceed with the $15 million purchase of Phase I infrastructure; negotiations for Phases 1B and 2 will continue with potential Aurora partnership.
- Audit acceptance: The 2025 ACFR and PAFR were accepted with commendation.
- Community grants: $1,000 each to Castle Country Assisted Living, Agewise Colorado, and A Precious Child, approved 7-0.
- Executive Session: After recess (7:12 PM – 8:15 PM), the council voted 7-0 to award the Town Attorney a 6% raise and the Town Manager a 9% raise.
- Meeting adjourned at 8:16 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. Uh first of all, I want to thank everybody for coming tonight, whether it's online or in person. And we'll start with invocation. Heavenly Father, we ask for your guidance, wisdom, and support as we begin this meeting. We gather here today intent on doing good work. We seek to represent fairly and well those who have given this to given us 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, businesses, and visitors. Help us do continue to doing good work in your name. Amen. Roll call, please. Councilmember Hollingshead. Here. Councilmember Bracken. Councilmember Davis. Present. Councilmember Deeds? Here. Mayor Pro Tem KB? Yes. Mayor Gray. Here. Please rise for pledge of allegiance. You know, uh it's been a kind of a weird week. I I've you know what you a lot of people messages weekend, we are every every couple of weeks here. Um but I had uh some just um friends and relatives, some people I don't even know. Um it's just been uh really hard um uh between death and suicide, cancer, um, and just a few other things. And I think that it reminds me that that we a lot of times we just we just don't know what everyone's going through, you know, and and uh and no idea what someone is going, you know, someone cuts you off. Um maybe it wasn't belligerent, maybe it was just somebody having having a bad day and not paying attention the way they should. You know, someone is a waiter or wait weight staff is not as nice as they should be, maybe they're to have a bad day as well. Um unfortunately there's a lot of bad days out there, and and I think that having having grace is is is really a key in our culture right now that's sometimes um not as existent as it needs to be. Um like I said, I I I it was like four or five things I had written down. I decided not to go ahead and just name them all because it was just gonna it was super depressing. And uh and life can be di depressing. So I think that it uh the more we can lift each other up instead of taking each other down, um better. And hopefully uh we can keep doing that. Uh with that, Councilmember Holland said. I just wanted to uh recognize the youth police academy that was uh going next last week. They go uh uh again in July. Uh really first of all I just want to thank all the police officers that give their time to that program. I think the SROs are maybe used to working with uh middle school kids and some high school kids, but some of the other officers are certainly get uh getting uh run for their money. And then uh just want to recognize there's uh a group of second year uh police academy students that are the leadership group, and they met with me and um some other folks just talk about ideas on how to improve the community, and it's really impressive that the ideas that they're coming up with, given their time in the summer to experience um part of the town, but really to think about the whole town uh and how they can make it a better place. So really impressive group, and thanks again to our officers that donate their time. Thank you, Councilmember Bracken. Thank you, Mayor. Just looking forward to the fourth of July coming up here and uh fun holiday and hopefully we'll be safe. And uh no comments other than that. Just uh grateful for the holiday coming up. Thank you. Thank you.
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