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El Paso County approves Antler Creek service plan, authorizes up to $10 million in district debt
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved a Title 32 service plan for Antler Creek Metropolitan District covering 244 acres, allowing up to $10 million in district debt and a combined mill levy cap of 65 mills; the plan anticipates individual wells and on-site septic systems and requires future findings of water sufficiency.
The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 25 approved a special district service plan for Antler Creek Metropolitan District, a request from Antler Ridge LLC that covers 244 acres and sets a maximum debt authorization of $10,000,000.
The approval allows a maximum combined mill levy cap of 65 mills — 50 mills for debt, 10 mills for operations and maintenance and 5 mills for a special-purpose levy — and includes a requirement for an annual report and purchaser disclosures, a county staff presentation said. The applicant asked that a typographical error in the plan (an incorrect parenthetical “0” and a miscalculated total shown on page 14) be corrected in the final service-plan document; the board’s motion approving the plan incorporated that correction.
The project anticipates large-lot residential development. Carrie Parsons, Principal Planner, Planning and Community Development, said the district is not anticipated to provide centralized water or wastewater; lots are expected to be served by individual wells and on-site septic systems, and the applicant’s preliminary plan identifies individual wells. Parsons said a formal finding of water sufficiency from the State Engineer and a county attorney water-sufficiency finding at a 300-year level will be required when the project returns for preliminary-plan review.
Alicia Corley, attorney for the applicant, said the service plan follows the county’s model service plan and that the $10 million maximum debt figure reflects an estimated public-improvement cost of about $8.6 million plus a modest contingency buffer. She told the board the next procedural step is to request a court order to hold an election on Nov. 4, after which the district would be organized by court order if the election succeeds.
Craig Dossett of Vertex Consulting confirmed that utility service in the area would include Black Hills Energy for gas and Mountain View Electric for electricity. Staff noted the district could provide fire cisterns for use by the Falcon Fire Protection District but would not deliver fire hydrants.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about water rights and who would hold voting power in the initial election; staff explained that, because no lots have sold, initial eligible electors would be representatives of the landowner/developer. After discussion, a motion to approve the Antler Creek service plan with the staff-requested corrections passed 4-0. The chair excused Commissioner Williams earlier in the meeting.
