transparency

City Approves Initiative for Charter Amendment

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on June 7, 2026Posted in Development, Elections, TransparencyTagged charter amendment, Lakewood Citizen Alliance, transparency, zoning, zoning election

The Lakewood Citizens Alliance (LCA) announced that the City Clerk has officially approved an initiative for a Charter Amendment aimed at improving public communication, transparency, and community engagement surrounding future large-scale rezoning and legislative land use changes.

Centered around the principle of “Transparency Before Transformation,” the proposed amendment is designed to establish clear procedural guardrails for future citywide zoning actions while protecting the character and stability of existing single-family neighborhoods.

Lakewood Made 30-Year Commitment on Navigation Center

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on May 19, 2026Posted in HomelessTagged Accountability, budget, DOLA, grants, hidden terms, Homeless, navigation center, restricted, shelter, transparency, unhoused, use covenant

Lakewood purchased 8000 W Colfax Avenue to use as an emergency shelter and Navigation Center using a grant from the state to fund the property purchase and renovation. As a condition to getting the grant, Lakewood committed the property to shelter use for 30 years. No public discussion about this condition occurred when City Council authorized the purchase. At an annual operating cost of $3,000,000, that’s a $90,000,000 commitment that was not disclosed to the public. That makes the Center severely underfunded, with declining neighborhood support, and may be one reason for the proposed city sales tax hike.

Observations from the Navigation Center Neighborhood Meeting

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on May 1, 2026Posted in Homeless, TransparencyTagged community input, Homeless, lenore herskovitz, navigation center, shelter, transparency, unhoused

By Lenore Herskovitz

On April 28, 2026 a neighborhood meeting was held at the Navigation Center at 8000 W. Colfax to explain and discuss the Special Use Permit required for the facility to operate as an overnight shelter. Presently the Navigation Center is performing this service for individuals under a Temporary Permit. The meeting was well-attended by a diverse group. Some had been notified because of their proximity to the facility, others through social media or word of mouth. Young and old residents were present to ask questions and voice their concerns to the City’s representatives Chris Conner, Manager of Lakewood’s Housing and Thriving Communities Division and Paul Rice, the Director of the Planning Department. Chris had been more directly involved with the project so he led the presentation and discussion. There were handouts that provided information about the Navigation Center and the Special Use Process.
Initially many of the comments came from angry residents who felt they should have been notified much sooner. The Navigation Center was already opened and had people living there before there was community outreach. Prior to that, engagement regarding who would operate the shelter consisted of City Staff, representatives from the West Colfax Community Association, non-competing area nonprofits, Jefferson County and command-level staff from Lakewood Police. So basically by the time this neighborhood meeting was being held the Navigation Center was operational.

Mill Levy Increase Despite Millions Lost on Emory Sale Raises Trust Issues

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on February 6, 2026Posted in Budget, Community, JeffcoTagged appraisal, budget, education, Jeffco Schools, mill levy, property value, real estate, test scores, transparency, trust, zoning

Jeffco Schools has determined that they need a mill levy increase and are looking for ways to market that decision to residents. However, the way the district closed and sold Emory Elementary demonstrates a decision-making process that doesn’t examine the root cause of problems. From the first, Jeffco schools showed a willingness to craft narratives using a select set of facts for a predetermined output. As shown by the eleven points below, select facts are not the full story. Withholding the full story and losing money makes residents question whether Jeffco Schools can be trusted with more money in a mill levy increase.

Jeffco Point #1: Emory was closed due to declining enrollment amidst a budget deficit.

SUNLIGHT: At the time of closure, Emory ranked #1741 out of 1748 Colorado schools. Declining enrollment coincided with a steep decrease in test scores. Alternative solutions include raising test scores, which Jeffco proved unable to do since 2015. Good schools are a driver for home sales. Without good schools, new families don’t move in or enroll in other choice schools. Ultimately, poor performance was the reason for closure, not the budget.

Lakewood Withheld Financial Information While Spending on Controversial Projects

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on January 30, 2026Posted in Budget, Entrenched Bureaucracy, TransparencyTagged budget, Colorado, Colorado Supreme Court, discretionary spending, fiscal responsibility, Lakewood, Metro PCS, pet projects, tabor, taxes, transparency, unelected bureaucrats

On September 8, 2025, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled against Lakewood in an important court case against Metro PCS. As a result, Lakewood now owes around $42 million in tax refunds to Metro PCS and other cell phone carriers. That was big news, but what happened after the court decision is just as important.

Lakewood withheld the financial ramifications of the Metro PCS court decision during crucial budget planning. Although Lakewood didn’t know the total amount involved, the staff was aware that they would have to refund millions of dollars to the cell phone companies. Yet there was no public presentation of possible impacts during the crucial September and October budgeting months. Instead, Lakewood spent millions on controversial projects as soon as they could. Millions that could have gone toward the mandated refund.

Special Election Set for April 7

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on January 27, 2026Posted in Elections, TransparencyTagged densification, listening, referendum, Special election, special interests, transparency, trust, urbanization, zoning

Lakewood City Council unanimously decided to put the zoning code up for a vote on a special election on April 7, 2026. Both pro-zoning and anti-zoning advocates requested the special election. Both sides believe they have the support of the people.

The decision to put the zoning code on the ballot was not about the zoning code. The issue was whether City Council would listen to the people. City Council rushed to approve a new zoning code without a public discussion of the underlying densification decision. The actual changes were a different discussion than the broader Comprehensive Plan or “affordable housing” discussion. Once people started to understand zoning densification impacts, there was a rising number of complaints. City Council Members discounted these voices as a “small minority.”

2026 Resolution – Get Involved

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on January 20, 2026Posted in TransparencyTagged 2026, community engagement, get involved, resolution, transparency

“Many hands make light work” is true for holding government accountability. And it’s easier to get involved than you might think – there are a lot of new people getting involved in Lakewood politics now. In 2026, don’t pound your fists in frustration; do one little thing to contribute to the solution.

Make a friend – you would be surprised at how fast you can be plugged into a whole new community and will have friends to talk to about issues that matter

Emory Questions Left Unanswered

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on October 30, 2025Posted in Community, Development, Entrenched Bureaucracy, Jeffco, TransparencyTagged action center, contract, Emory, financial, partners, questions, rush, transparency, zoning

The October 27, 2025 City Council meeting demonstrated how determined Council is to approve the Emory sale and Action Center purchase. That date was the first opportunity to approve the multiple transaction after the new zoning was passed – zoning which was required for the new operations. Despite having an injunction in place to stall the vote, Council did everything possible except the actual vote itself. They claimed everything was known, disclosed and proper. They laughed and smiled as if the injunction was a joke. However, despite their claims, below is a list of over 70 lingering questions.

The votes on Emory have been delayed from October 27 to October 29 and now until November 3 while Council desperately tries to vote as soon as possible even while the case is in court and under injunction. The difficulty lies in how to restore trust and enable a public process to answer questions that have been handled behind the scenes for two years.

Springsteen Wins Injunction on Emory

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on October 21, 2025Posted in Community, Homeless, Jeffco, TransparencyTagged action center, Emory, fiduciary duty, injunction, jeffco-schools, market analysis, millions, springsteen, transparency

Anita Springsteen, former Lakewood City Council Member and attorney, has won an injunction filed against Lakewood. The injunction will pause two upcoming votes on Emory, wherein Lakewood is acting as an agent for the Action Center. It is unclear what, if any, benefit Lakewood will gain through this deal, but it is very clear the city will lose millions. At the same time, the Action Center will gain millions of dollars of property that it could not get without the special privileges of the government middleman. The injunction will pause the vote until after the previously scheduled October 28, 2025, court date.

Jeffco Not Disclosing Emory Details

By Lakewood News from KarenPosted on October 2, 2025Posted in Jeffco, Transparency, UncategorizedTagged action center, Emory, Jeffco Schools, market analysis, Paula Reed, transparency

Jeffco Schools is not disclosing how much the district will lose on the Emory Elementary deal. And curiously, no one knows when the Board met or voted on selling the closed school.

Lakewood Informer reached out to school officials and could find NOTHING. How is Lakewood selling the property when the purchase has not been completed through Jeffco? Has it been completed and everyone missed it?