Lakewood Informer

Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado

Lakewood Informer

Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado

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Colorado nonprofit serving Lakewood’s homeless population in need of a new home

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in Uncategorized

Cross-post By Karen Morfitt, CBS News A resource for struggling families and those living on the street in Lakewood is in desperate need of a new location. Without it, Mean Street Ministry, which operates a food bank and day shelter along the West Colfax corridor, might not survive. “I was homeless and looking for a place to stay one night, stayed behind the dumpster here,” Rollin Huber said. The decision would change his life. “A gentleman from Mean Street came and got me at six in the morning and took me in,” Huber explained. Read the full article from CBS News

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No Increase to Crime Enforcement in Budget

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , ,

Lakewood Police Department continues to try to reduce crime through methods other than increased law enforcement. Crime reduction is not mentioned as an expectation or result-benefit to any department goal in the 2025 Budget Book. For example, to meet the goal of “preserving a safe and peaceful community“, the police department will “encourage residents to use alternative reporting options for non-emergency incidents“. This will allow police to respond to emergencies faster, but does not increase response time to all calls or increase number of calls responded to overall. Average response time and number of calls were not given. Lakewood Police have been critiqued for not responding to calls in Lakewood news. Presumably crime reduction will follow some of these initiatives. Other goals include “enhancing the public’s perception of safety“. For this goal, the police department will work with Human Resources to make sure police employees meet diversity standards, and ensure prompt completion of internal affairs cases. This assumes the public is aware of the results of internal affairs cases. To “provide the highest possible level of customer service to the citizens of Lakewood” the police will disperse grant funds in low- and moderate-income areas for code enforcement. There is no mention of enforcement targets, statistics, or crime enforcement priorities. For example, will drug use continue to be de-prioritized? Recently enacted new speed limits and traffic cameras are not mentioned. Lakewood Police are not asking for additional staff in 2025. Instead, they will take advantage of Artificial Intelligence to streamline police report writing by using new software from Axon called Draft One. Some initial reviews of the software are very positive while others call out controversial points. “One of the most pressing concerns is the well-documented propensity of AI models, particularly those based on large language models like OpenAI’s GPT-4, to “hallucinate” facts and perpetuate biases present in their training data. In the context of police reports, which carry significant weight in the criminal justice system, even minor inaccuracies or biases could have devastating consequences for individuals’ lives and liberties.” –Felipe Chavarro, Tech Ethicist

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Economic Development Fund Used for Homeless Initiatives

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , ,

The money for new pallet homes, or transitional housing units, will come from Lakewood’s Economic Development fund. The 2025 budget also shows the city expects to spend $9.5 million on land purchases for unspecific purposes, also from the Economic Development Fund. Lakewood is waiting to start the transitional housing program until land can be purchased somewhere. The city budgets $300,000 for pallet homes. These homes will be a new program that Lakewood will provide funding and support for, but may be owned and run by an outside organization with limited oversight. The Economic Development Fund has traditionally been used to develop economic opportunities in Lakewood, but in 2023, Lakewood re-interpreted the ordinance to include safety and general upkeep of the city. Previous discussion on the transitional housing program did not include a business analysis of any economic growth potential this program would provide. The $9.5 million for land purchases could be used for transitional housing land (for pallet homes), in whole or in part. By approving the budget, the city will have funds to allocate for purchases as it prioritizes. State of the Economy The budget presentation shows that median household income rose by 10% but the Jeffco employment rate is down by 1%, marking the need for more economic opportunities. Lakewood predicts just under 1% growth in sales tax which reflects the state of the economy.

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Lakewood to Increase and Overcollect Property Tax – Again

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , ,

Including explanation from Bob Adams Lakewood will vote on a property tax increase on Monday. This will be done through the normal budget appropriation and mill levy certification. It is not called a tax increase anywhere. However, the 2025 Budget Book,  page 62, explains that a temporary reduction in the mill levy rate will lapse in 2025. As a result, Lakewood residents will pay 6% more property taxes and Lakewood will collect an extra $15.5 million in 2025. In 2023, former Councilor Mary Janssen fought to get Lakewood to comply with the Lakewood City Charter and only collect revenues that are legally allowed. That equated to a property mill levy rate of 3.85%. Lakewood Charter has a revenue cap, not a tax rate cap, to protect its residents from windfall taxes, like abrupt property assessment increases. City Council did not agree to Janssen’s original proposal, but they did lower the mill levy to 4.28 mills. For one year. Now that year is up. On Monday, the Council will vote to approve the full mill levy of 4.711 mills, thereby increasing the rate by 0.431 mills from 2024. Your property taxes will go up again this year. “Natalie Menten, board director with the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) Foundation, emphasized the importance of TABOR’s protections: ‘According to paragraph 7(c), the maximum annual percentage change in each district’s property tax revenue equals inflation in the prior calendar year plus annual local growth (new construction). That safety cap protects taxpayers and gives very sufficient additional revenue to government agencies. Voters shouldn’t waive any tax revenue cap unless it comes with the 4-year sunset prescribed in TABOR.” In 2023, then-Councilor Janssen found out Lakewood revenue from property tax was increasing 12.87%. The City Charter only allows for a 7% increase in revenue growth (see City Charter 12.12) “Growth from projected 2023 to projected 2024 Property Tax Revenue is 12.87%”- Holly Björklund, Chief Financial Officer, Lakewood, 2023 Lakewood will increase property tax revenues over the amount permitted in charter, as they have in previous years, while advocating to keep your TABOR refunds. Explanation of Overcharging from Bob Adams Every two years (odd numbered years), Colorado requires all real estate to be reappraised.  This was done in 2023 and resulted in a huge increase in property valuations.  This reappraisal applied to property taxes paid in 2024.  The Assessor uses the newly appraised county real estate inventory to prepare a report of the assessed value which is provided to all county tax authorities.  Based on that report, the tax authorities are supposed to calculate the overall mill levy needed to provide services (pay their budget) for the following year.  The approved mill levy is then used to calculate individual tax bills. As published by the Colorado Division of Property Taxation: “Each year county commissioners, city councils, school boards, governing boards of special districts, and other taxing authorities determine the revenue needed and allowed under the law to provide services for the following year.  [In other words, prepare a budget] Each taxing authority calculates a tax rate based on the revenue needed from property tax and the total assessed value of real and personal property located within their boundaries. The tax rate is often expressed as a mill levy.” Source:   (https://spl.cde.state.co.us/artemis/locserials/loc811internet/loc8112022internet.pdf) If the law was followed properly, there would be only a minimal tax increase. However, Jefferson County and nearly all county tax authorities, including Lakewood, failed to adjust the mill levies downward to equal their budgets.  Even Governor Polis sent a letter to all tax districts urging them to reduce mill levies.  Most refused.  Instead, nearly all kept a higher mill levy which resulted in property owners being overcharged and the districts received a huge windfall in increased tax revenue.  Now, of course, the city and county have introduced ballot measures to allow them to keep and spend the overcollected tax revenue this year, next year and every future year. and eliminate all other revenue caps so they can freely raise taxes without a vote of the people now required by TABOR. This is the cause of how tax revenues were overcharged and overcollected. See more from Bob Adams on nextdoor.com

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Don’t miss Zikr Dance Ensemble in Lakewood this Fall!

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , ,

Press Release What: Zikr Dance Ensemble’s “Secrets” Where: Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood, CO When: Friday, October 25, 2024 at 7:30pm (MT) Details: Tickets start at only $34!  Available at https://bit.ly/ZikrLakewood2024. Zikr Dance Ensemble’s 2024 Fall Season is entitled “Secrets”. Highlighted on the program will be the world premiere of David Taylor’s “Liturgies” and a newly expanded version of the stunning “Ripples In The Sand”. Set to the electrifying Dune film score by Hans Zimmer, Ripples will feature new costumes and choreography and a breathtaking fabric canopy covering the entire stage. Also featured will be a reprise of audience favorite “Mobile”, the iconic miniature masterpiece by former Ballet West and San Francisco Ballet choreographer Tomm Ruud. Rounding out this mesmerizing evening of contemporary, multi-media dance will be Taylor’s “Altar”, and “Oracle”, a journey into the mysterious world of the ancient Greek Oracle of Delphi. Sponsors: SCFD; Denver Ballet Guild; National Endowment for the Arts; Colorado Creative Industries; Community Foundation Boulder County; Colorado Gives Foundation; Denver Ballet Theatre Academy; Ouray County Performing Arts Guild; Highlands Ranch Community Association; Danah Fayman Performing Arts Fund; The Ute Events Center; Premier School of Dance   Zikr Dance Ensemble is a contemporary ballet company located on Colorado’s Front Range. Currently celebrating its 15thAnniversary Season under the direction of Artistic Director and principal choreographer David Taylor, Zikr offers a spectrum of works that pay homage to transcendent dance rituals and metaphysical concepts from many different ancient world cultures throughout history.  The company’s original contemporary dance/theatre realizations are both dramatically engaging and educational and by exploring numerous ancient esoteric ideas through dance from all over the world, Zikr also promotes spiritual tolerance and multi-cultural understanding for the entire community.  Zikr’s international  roster is comprised of world class dancers from all over the globe selected through two highly competitive annual auditions. The dances in performance are supplemented by stunning slide projections and visual effects, completing a multi-media experience that audiences and presenters alike have found to be both visually and artistically stunning as well as intellectually captivating and spiritually uplifting.

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City Uses Budget Presentation to Push TABOR Retention

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , ,

The 2025 budget presentation included a sales pitch to keep your TABOR refunds. Each department made note of which projects would be funded by TABOR and made a simple statement along the lines of “Without the additional TABOR revenues, the city will have less revenue.” Lakewood’s Chief Financial Officer, Holly Bjorklund, dedicated extra slides detailing how TABOR retained tax funds were used, by the specific project and by the department, to make an impressive list of accomplishments. Staff did not note which projects would go away if sales tax revenue decreased. There was no note detailing ways to increase sales tax revenues through economic development. No Council Member asked to spend less. TABOR retained funds accounts for 1.23% of all funds. In contrast, sales tax is the biggest source of revenue at 41%. Sales tax is also used for parks and police and all other city functions. It would be normal to focus on the bigger percentage of funds to present a clear budget picture. Instead, Lakewood focused on the single-digit, smaller source of funds. Coincidentally, Lakewood initiated a ballot vote to retain these funds permanently into the future. TABOR is the most mentioned fund but among the least significant. All this focus on TABOR by the city is to influence the upcoming vote that the city sponsored. If you have any doubts about Lakewood influencing your vote, see the list of TABOR-funded projects that the city has thoughtfully provided on its website. On October 7, City Council will vote on a resolution to urge residents to give up their TABOR refunds forever. This action comes after Council Member Olver was not allowed to print additional facts on the issue at all. It appears as if Lakewood is only presenting one side of the issue. There would be no need to focus on one, little, over-collected fund if the city would: Note the jump in retained TABOR fund in 2017, coincident with the city’s ability to retain. “Through the ballot measure in 2018, Lakewood voters approved lifting the TABOR limits on the city’s budget from 2017 through 2025” – Lakewood 2025 Budget Book

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Lower Speed Limits for Climate Change

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in Uncategorized

Lakewood City Council Members used resident concerns about speeding to pursue their climate change goals. They did this by lowering speed limits to increase walkable neighborhoods. The plan is to cause people to be uncomfortable driving and therefore reduce driving or increase walking. Monday night’s vote started with a discussion of public safety, but the final discussion points highlighted the walkability agenda, perhaps because there has never been an analysis of how many accidents were caused by speeding as opposed to other causes. There were a lot of assumptions made that speeding was the cause of every accident. Several Council Members and residents referred to the need to reduce or eliminate driving in order to make the city more walkable. In other words, if only there were lower speed limits, residents would feel safe enough to bike or walk.  All Lakewood residential streets will now be at school zone speeds. Council positions are below. Walkable cities use planning, design, and density to maximize walking and minimize driving. Emissions decrease as pedestrians take the place of cars. – Climatedesigners.org Despite multiple claims by Council Members that their vote was “data driven”, there was no data presented on key facts: Council Members seemed to focus on an unsourced graph showing the likelihood of surviving an accident at different speeds. The injury data had no basis compared to other Lakewood statistics. For example, the statistic is that 25% of people will die when involved in an accident at 25 mph. However, the Lakewood data show 936 accidents on streets up to 40 mph with a total of 66 fatalities. If the statistics that most Councilors referenced was accurate, there should be more like 234 fatalities. There is at least a 3.5x data exaggeration in the number of potential fatalities The data exaggeration is proved by Lakewood data.  But the reason the data may not really matter is because lowering the speed limit pushes the city along Council’s climate change goals, regardless of any safety motive. Council Positions: Shahrezaei: She says the issue is safety and less injuries (referring to the slide with exaggerated numbers). She says we want complete streets and less car-centric streets. Offers amendment to lower all the way to 20 mph. She encourages school zone signs to remain. Olver: Demonstrates how lower speed limits will not change the number of people driving extremely fast. He says this isn’t data driven because there are no fatalities on residential streets so we can’t reduce the number of fatalities. There are no statistics on auto-pedestrian fatalities as to who is at fault or why. So there are no data-driven advantages to this. Mayott-Guerrero: Is concerned about injuries caused by 25 mph. She says 20 mph is lifesaving. She “gently reminds” Olver that he is wrong about speeds. She says this lower speed limit is a community-building technique. She is interested in additional traffic calming measures. LaBure: Says this is not just for the safety aspect but for the cultural aspect. “We want to be a walkable community that is safe and inviting.” Interested in more traffic calming measures. Sinks: Asks about how long 25 mph would last before moving to 20 mph, if ever. (point became moot when Council voted for 20 mph but answer was 5-10 years) Stewart: Says she likes 20 mph because most of the injuries are in ward 3. Says this will reduce injury and death. (Note: Councilor Stewart may be referring to a slide that showed only 7 out of the 67 accidents occurred on residential streets. Those occurred over a four year period, from Wadsworth to Sheridan. The point of this demonstration was to show that no stretch was really a hotspot and none of the residential streets had unexpected amounts of accidents. Most of the injuries occur along Colfax, not a residential street at all.) Cruz: Ask about data specifics including potential detriments to walking, like high-speed limits. Says one of the goals of Lakewood is to reduce miles driven so increasing bicycle usage will help that. Asks about the speed cushion process with relation to emergency vehicles. Rein: Reiterates question on staff opinion about going to 25 mph or 20 mph. Rein supports 20 mph only after a period of 25 mph. Low: He says he did his own research and found lowering speed limits actually works. He supports going to 20 mph.  He says Lakewood has a lot of people who want to do more biking, more walking and we need safer streets. Strom: Comments that we have a lot more cars so there is a lot more conflict. Asks for yard signs for residents to remind people of the lower speed limits. Scorecard: Lower Speed Limit to 20 mph Strom: Aye Shahrezaei: Aye Sinks: Aye Mayott-Guerrero: Aye Cruz: Aye Stewart: Aye Low: Aye Olver: Nay Rein: Aye LaBure: Aye Nystrom: Aye

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Vivian Elementary, the Graham House, and the Isolation of a Neighborhood in Ward 1

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , ,

Guest Post from Laura Majors We all rely on our elected officials, both paid and volunteer to do the right thing, work together, and make the best decisions possible for the city, county, and school system.  When they aren’t talking, community amenities are put at risk.  Our neighborhood, in the north end of Ward 1, is in a position to lose many amenities that can isolate a neighborhood.  We are being handed “plans”,  then input is received and largely ignored, with a concession here and there.  Here are the example of what we are experiencing: Graham Park & Graham House:   The Graham House and Park were donated to the city for a park with house for meetings and education.  Last Autumn, a small group of neighbors and HOAs (in a largely non-HOA neighborhood) were notified of “improvements” to this park.  The plan included the demolition of the Graham House. The reason for the demolition plan was the cost of fixing up the building as event rentals had decreased, largely for the reason that the building had not been maintained.   According to counts of the responses on at the initial community meeting and on  https://www.lakewoodtogether.org/grahamparkimprovements , community members want to keep the building, yet this request was ignored.  The new plan after community involvement, is to demolish the building.  An open records request response said that there is no record of a legal review by the City Attorney whether or not demolishing the building in respect to our city charter is legal, section 14.3, page 40.   Today, I requested of all our city council members a legal review of the plan to demolish the Graham House within Graham Park.  If there is an objective lawyer out there reading this who would like to give a pro bono opinion to the community, please do. Vivian Elementary School:  JJeffCo School District decided to close Vivian Elementary School.  The school exists on a parcel of land donated in 1953 by the Larsen family, who farmed the land.  The family of the Larsens have indicated they would like the property to remain public.  Since the school closed in the Fall of 2023, neighbors say we are not receiving the priority #2 snow plowing around the school, making it more difficult to get out of the neighborhood onto priority #1 streets.  In April 2024, JeffCo Schools held a community meeting at the local library.  They were overwhelmed by the number of people from our community who were interested, so many that monitors were set up outside of the room for overflow.  Representatives from the school district told the community that the City of Lakewood had turned down the opportunity to purchase the land and building.    This municipal process was posted on the JeffCo Schools Disposition web site for how the process was supposed to go.  The first step of the process is to meet with city officials, yet no record of this meeting exists.   At the library meeting, the community gave clear feedback that a park was the best use of this land and indicated that the school district should go back to the city and ask again. Instead, Jeffco Schools went ahead with their next steps in the process to sell the land, which could result in up to 70 homes being built on the property.  Community members came forward in force with requests of the city to purchase this land for a park and possibly using the building for a recreation or learning center of some kind.   On September 13th at 12:00 noon, the City Council of Lakewood and the Jeffco School Board and Superintendent held a meeting.  The only topic discussed was the school disposition process and more specifically, Emory and Vivian Elementary Schools.   While the Jeffco School Disposition process has a community notification system in place for anyone interested in one or all of the schools, a notification did not go out about this meeting.  The meeting was mostly about how the process didn’t work and Jeffco Schools admittedly said that the municipal process needed to be more “formal”, and that the city would be given more time in the future to respond on whether or not a property was desired for purchase.  The additional time would allow the city to discuss plans with the community before giving a formal response on a property.    So, there are now direct negotiations for the city to purchase 3 acres from Jeffco Schools and Jeffco has asked developers to include that in their final plans.   A community group met with one of the developers at their request to look at their plan and give feedback.  The development plan was for the ballfields, basketball court, playground, picnic areas, parking lot, and school building to be demolished.    The plan showed 37 houses leaving 3 acres of park space. Unfortunately, this is the 3 acres on the easement under which a very large Denver Water pipe lies.  Likely, homes could not be built on most of this space anyway.  We lose our amenities, we gain an easement.  We would like to have a discussion with the city before all the amenities are gone.   10850 20th Street/Quail Street Park:    City Council approved the purchase of this land from Denver Water in the Autumn of 2023.  The city website says they have purchased it and will ask for community involvement after the purchase is complete. The portion on which Quail Street Park with a playground sits is a lease held by the city through 2028. The Assessor’s office shows the owner is still Denver Water.  I asked the city for clarification and was told negotiations are ongoing.  City Council members have described this land as “passive park space”, which denotes no ball field or space for organized sports. Removal of 20th and Oak Pedestrian Light:   In addition to these properties, a pedestrian traffic light at 20th and Oak was being reviewed for decommissioning.  Kids used it to get to Vivian Elementary School.  Neighbors responded to the request for input, saying this light connects the

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LES SCHWAB TIRE CENTER PARTNERS WITH EASTERSEALS COLORADO ON NEW TIRES

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in Uncategorized

Store grand opening event will feature tire installation, fun, food & prizes Press Release Easterseals Colorado’s vehicle will get some top-notch new tires at the two-day grand opening celebration of Lakewood’s new Les Schwab Tires store. Les Schwab is donating the tires as part of its Tires for Purpose program and will install them during the festivities on Sept. 27. The West Metro Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 28. More details can be found below. Easterseals Colorado helps people with disabilities, their families and caregivers all have the opportunity to thrive in our communities through programs and services. New tires on their vehicle will help advance the organization’s mission by enabling staff members to help people move around and transport supplies.  The community is invited to join the grand opening celebration at the 11,961-square-foot Les Schwab Tires store at 2165 S Webster St., featuring the tire installation at 11 a.m. on Sept. 27. Visitors will enjoy food, snacks and a chance to win prizes, gift cards and more. Come by for a free brake check and pre-trip safety check, as well as a visual inspection of the most important parts of your vehicle. In addition to welcoming a new community supporter, with the opening of the Lakewood Les Schwab Tires store residents now have a new option for one-stop shopping to ensure their vehicles are equipped to safely transport them wherever they need to go. Les Schwab’s offerings include brake services, alignment, shocks and more – a more robust range of services than those available from other tire shops that simply sell tires. WHEN: Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 8 am-6 pm: Food and snacks, spin the prize wheel for a chance to win prizes, gift cards and more (while supplies last) 11:00 am: Tires for Purpose donated tire installation for Easterseals Colorado 1:00 pm-3:00 pm: KXKL 105.1 to attend Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 8 am-5 pm: Food and snacks, spin the prize wheel for a chance to win prizes, gift cards and more (while supplies last) 10:00 am: Ribbon cutting hosted by the West Metro Chamber of Commerce WHAT: Media tours, video opportunities Spin to win prizes and services Free treats and food for tire center visitors  WHO: Reporters will have access to store leadership for interviews,video and photos. Aaron Wheeler, Les Schwab’s Lakewood Store Manager Les Schwab Tires Employees and their families Easterseals Colorado staff members West Metro Chamber of Commerce KXKL 105.1 Customers

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An Open Letter to Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom and the City Council on Taxes

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , , , ,

Repost from Bob Adams on NextDoor.com Dear Mayor Strom: As Mayor, you and the City Council are asking us (in the November ballot measure) to allow you to permanently keep and spend all the extra tax dollars you over collected, not just this year, but next year and every year after that, as well as asking blanket permission to raise taxes anytime without a vote of the people. We know these extra tax dollars were not an accident, but deliberately over collected – in anticipation of your ballot measure.  How are our tax dollars being spent? As a taxpayer, I was shocked to learn we pay Lakewood City Manager, Kathy Hodgson, $368,137 in base salary per year – nearly as much as the President of the United States at $400,000 and much more than the vice president and governor. This seems really high for a town the size of Lakewood. The city Manager in Ft. Collins (slightly larger) is paid $97,232 and Colorado Springs (much larger), $104,517. Please advise and explain the total compensation package currently being paid to the city manager. Please include additional fringe benefits, any bonus amounts paid, deferred compensation, expense accounts, retirement benefits and any other benefits. As you know, all of this is public information.  Thank you in advance. This information will help us evaluate your Ballot Measure.  Sincerely,  Bob Adams  Lakewood.  Further information: As an addendum, I’ve just learned that our Lakewood city manager also has a deputy city manager who is paid $207,000.  This letter was sent to the Mayor by email. If I receive a response from her or the Council, I’ll share it here.

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