To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Kristin Zagurski, Assistant to the Town Manager
Title
Update: Legislative Update
Body
________________________________________________________________________________
Executive Summary
The 2018 regular session of the Colorado General Assembly continues through May 9. With assistance from the Colorado Municipal League (CML) and other sources, staff is monitoring - and providing Council with regular updates on - legislative activity that is of municipal interest.
Staff does not take a position on any legislation unless so directed by Council. Attached (Attachment A) are lists of all of the legislation CML is following thus far this legislative session. If Council is interested in additional information on any of these - or any other - bills, staff will provide such information in a future update.
Though not before the General Assembly, staff presents the below item for Council information:
Limit on local housing growth
Citizens have the right to propose changes to state statute through the initiative process. One citizen proposal for the November 2018 ballot involves limits on local housing growth in various Counties - including Douglas County - and the municipalities within them, which would include Castle Rock.
Initiative 66 (Attachment B) would limit residential housing growth - measured by locally issued housing permits - to one percent in 2019 and 2020 in a 10-County area that includes Douglas County. Beginning in 2021, voters could amend or repeal the growth limit.
The initiative withstood a single-subject challenge before the Colorado Supreme Court and is awaiting approval for circulation for signatures. According to CML, an initiated statutory change requires signatures from 98,492 registered electors, which is 5 percent of the number of all votes cast for the Secretary of State in the last election. Proponents of initiated measures have until early August to submit signatures to the Secretary of State for verification.
According to an Initial Fiscal Impact Statement from Colorado Legislative Council Staff (Attachment C), Douglas County would have hit the growth limit every year between 2010 and 2015. If the initiative makes it to ballot and is approved, residential growth in Castle Rock would be heavily restricted beginning in 2019. Consequently, the Town would receive less revenue from building permits and impact and system development fees. The Fiscal Impact Statement says, “Assuming the measure’s 1.0 percent growth limits are binding for some counties, the measure will shift construction employment and activity from counties that meet the 1.0 percent limit to jurisdictions where the 1.0 percent limit is not binding.”
With assistance from CML and other sources, staff will track this citizen proposal and will provide Council future updates regarding its status.
Attachments
Attachment A: CML Followed Bills as of February 28
Attachment B: Initiative 66 - Limit on Local Housing Growth
Attachment C: Colorado Legislative