Town Council directs staff to develop IGA for Douglas County's LINC On Demand rideshare pilot

Douglas County commissioners presented a proposal to bring the county's LINC On Demand app‑based rideshare to Castle Rock and the Town Council voted unanimously to direct staff to develop an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the county.

Commissioner George Teal told the council the program has delivered tens of thousands of trips in other Douglas County communities and said the service has both social and economic benefits. "It's a solution not only for encouraging economic growth in downtown, but also for public safety," Teal said, describing how the county has used LINC in Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree.

Commissioner Layton and county staff described results from existing deployments: about 72,000 completed rides and a vendor rating the county reported as 4.9 out of 5. County staff said the service is free to riders and projected an initial operating cost that would be shared, with the county absorbing about 80 percent and Castle Rock paying about 20 percent of the town's share. The presenters said the vendor, Via, supplies licensed drivers and vehicles; the service is app‑based with an option to book by phone for riders who need assistance.

Council members asked detailed questions about return on investment, rider limits, data collection and liability. Rayon Clark, the county's LINC lead, said Highlands Ranch data are still early but referenced academic studies that estimate $4–$5 return for every dollar invested in similar services. Clark said the county provides a monthly dashboard and that the vendor supplies anonymized trip data and GIS coordinates for analysis. "We don't have a specific return on investment yet for Highlands Ranch," Clark said. "We have looked at studies that estimate a return of about $4 or $5 for every dollar spent."

Multiple council members expressed practical concerns about budget priority and ridership limits. Mayor Pro Tem Kavey asked whether a $400,000 town share would generate sales tax revenue that justified displacing other spending priorities; county presenters said a hard ROI for Castle Rock could not yet be guaranteed but that early evidence shows increased retail visits tied to trips. Councilmember Brooks asked about regulatory risks if state or federal rules change for rideshare providers; county staff said they would monitor legislation and the IGA would include contract and liability protections.

Councilmember Brooks moved and Councilmember Dietz seconded a motion directing staff to work with Douglas County to develop an IGA and program details. The motion passed on a unanimous roll call vote.

What happens next: staff will draft an IGA and bring it back to council for formal approval; county staff said the initial proposal would be structured as a one‑year pilot to allow budgetary review and measurement of impacts.

Votes at a glance: Motion to direct staff to develop IGA — Passed unanimously.