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Parker council approves petition to exclude Cottonwood Highlands metro district, citing citizen-led effort and tax savings
Summary
The council unanimously approved Resolution No. 26-059 consenting to exclusion of Cottonwood Highlands Metropolitan District No. 1 and an IGA to preserve services and transfer responsibilities; presenters said the change would eliminate overlapping levies and produce modest tax savings for Highlands homeowners.
The Parker Town Council unanimously approved Resolution No. 26‑059 on Aug. 3, consenting to the exclusion of property within Cottonwood Highlands Metropolitan District No. 1 from the larger Cottonwood Metro District and adopting an intergovernmental agreement to govern continuation of services and disposition of assets.
Colin Milke, counsel for Cottonwood Highlands Metropolitan District No. 1, told the council the move was intended to eliminate overlapping taxation. "Right now you're looking... about $500,000 in taxes that are generated by the 18.3 mills," Milke said, and he said the exclusion could yield roughly a $100,000 conservative tax-saving estimate for the Cottonwood Highlands community while allowing Highlands to tailor services to its residents. Milke described a petition process that collected signatures from more than 50% of property owners in the neighborhood.
Town special counsel Kim Crawford and town attorney Lindsey Jordan explained that the court must receive the exclusion petition and also see a plan showing how services will continue. "The statutes ... assume the municipality would be the one providing those" services, Crawford said, but the IGA before the council documents that Cottonwood Highlands will provide services directly.
Council members praised the citizen-led process. Several members noted that Highlands’ board consists of five homeowners with no developer control and that Cottonwood Metro has agreed to the exclusion process and prior revenue-sharing arrangements. After questions about mill-levy mechanics and service continuity, Councilwoman Brandy Wilkes moved to approve the resolution; the motion was seconded by Councilman Hendricks and passed unanimously.
The next step is filing the petition in district court; a court-level hearing will follow and, if the court approves the petition, the exclusion order would be recorded with county offices and take effect per the court’s timeline.
