Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Annexation Hearing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council sets hearing start for Carmen Line annexation; members split on postponement
Summary
City council agreed to open the Carmen Line annexation public hearing tomorrow and hear at least one hour of testimony before any continuance; several council members urged postponement until Annex COS is complete and presentation materials are more available.
The Colorado Springs City Council agreed on Jan. 14 to open the public hearing on the proposed Carmen Line annexation tomorrow and take at least one hour of testimony before deciding whether to continue or postpone the matter.
The decision follows informal discussion among council members about whether to delay the hearing until the city’s Annex COS (annexation plan) is further advanced and until all council members can review applicant materials. Ben Bollinger of the City Attorney’s Office reminded the council that “state statute requires us to hold 1 hour of testimony at the hearing before the hearing can be continued, once it's been noticed.”
Council members who favored postponement cited incomplete planning context and limited time for public review. One councilor argued that hearing the annexation now could produce an inaccurate decision because the Annex COS effort — a city-wide annexation plan that would update the city’s boundary-related policies — is not finished. The councilor said the Annex COS “would be inaccurate” if large new annexations were decided before the plan was finalized.
Other council members pushed back, noting housing supply pressures and the fact the applicant cannot begin building for several years. Councilmember Lin Weber said the annexation had been presented to the council in December and urged the council not to “slow down anything that will advance or address our high housing crisis.” Several council members said timing and public expectations weighed into their thinking.
Council members also raised practical concerns: one said the applicant presentation was posted late on Friday and not all members had time to review it; another noted more than 40 people were signed up to speak at tomorrow’s hearing, which could affect how the council schedules the meeting.
By the end of the discussion, the council agreed to open the hearing as noticed and to “start the hearing” tomorrow; members will take testimony for at least one hour and then, if they choose, may move to continue (postpone) the hearing to a date certain. Several council members said they would use the next 24 hours to decide whether they will vote to postpone at that time.
Council staff said that, if the council chooses to postpone after the one-hour testimony, they will need to name a specific new date at that time. Kevin Walker, the city planning director, told council members that Annex COS is planned to be returned to council in final form by the second reading in March, a timeline several members referenced when weighing whether to delay the Carmen Line hearing.
The council did not take a formal vote on the annexation at the Jan. 14 work session; members will start the formal hearing tomorrow and may vote then whether to continue it to a date certain.
