Castle Rock council votes to direct staff to draft resolution supporting Douglas County home‑rule process

After a presentation from Douglas County officials, the Castle Rock Town Council voted unanimously to ask town staff to prepare a resolution supporting Douglas County's move to pursue home rule.

County Attorney Jeff Garcia told the council the county is beginning a multi-step process under Article 14 of the Colorado Constitution to form a charter commission and ultimately ask voters whether the county should adopt a home‑rule charter. Garcia said the first election question on June 24 will ask whether to form a 21‑member charter commission, and that, if approved, the commission would draft a charter for a later countywide vote.

The move matters locally because home rule would change the way state law applies to unincorporated Douglas County and could allow the county greater authority over taxation, contracting and some land‑use and regulatory matters. Garcia warned the process is work‑intensive: he described a nine‑step legal process that could require thousands of hours of staff and volunteer time, two elections, and significant public engagement. He also listed statutory references and timing constraints repeatedly cited in the briefing, including a description of Article 14 and a statutory cross‑reference cited in the presentation (transcript: "30 11 5 0 5").

Councilmembers asked specific questions about likely effects. Mayor Pro Tem Kavey asked whether a home‑rule charter would have changed a prior county attempt to reduce property tax assessments; Garcia said it could change legal arguments and who bears the burden of proving standing in litigation, but that outcomes would still be decided in court. Councilmember Dietz and others pressed on open‑space protections; Garcia said discretionary charter provisions could be written to protect open space and other local priorities but emphasized those decisions would be made by the charter commission and ultimately by voters.

After the briefing and a short Q&A, Councilmember Ryan Dietz moved and Councilmember Davis seconded a motion directing town staff to draft a resolution supporting Douglas County's home‑rule process and to bring that resolution back to the council for consideration. The council approved the motion 6‑0 (Hollingshead, Bracken, Davis, Dietz, Mayor Pro Tem Kavey and Mayor Gray: yes). The motion directed staff to prepare the draft resolution and further public information ahead of the June 24 election.

What the council did not decide tonight was the content of a county charter or the charter commission's membership. Garcia and Commissioner Teal repeatedly stressed the charter commission's role: if formed, the 21‑member commission would study county needs, hold public hearings and propose a draft charter that would later be voted on by all county voters. Garcia also noted that under Colorado law certain exemptions and statutes may explicitly apply to home‑rule counties and that legal analysis will be required for specific policy items.

Next steps: the county plans additional public outreach, including a home‑rule town hall on May 28 at the County Miller Building in Castle Rock. The council's direction to staff requires the town manager to draft and return a resolution to the council for a future meeting; any formal municipal position will be adopted only when that resolution appears on a public agenda.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the agenda item and are identified in the meeting record.