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August 19, 2021
ADAMS & JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
WestminsterWindow.com
VOLUME 76 | ISSUE 43
Westminster water rates debate concludes
STRETCHING FOR THE SHOT Legacy sophomore David Tran tries in vain to reach a ball hit by Fort Collins High School’s Teagen Crow during a Front Range League match Aug. 12 at Legacy High School in Broomfield. Crow defeated Tran 6-2, 6-3, as the Lambkins edged the Lightning, 4-3. PHOTO BY STEFAN BRODSKY
No increases for water and sewer rates in 2022 BY LIAM ADAMS LADAMS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A debate that kicked off nine months ago about Westminster’s water rates for 2022 ended unceremoniously Aug. 10 when the City Council could not reach a consensus about new rates. Three council members supported increasing rates next year, three did not. Due to a lack of majority support for one direction or another, the city will not increase rates next year, which poses a serious challenge to the city’s current plan to construct a new water treatment plant by 2025. The council began meeting for special water study sessions last October in advance of the 2022 rate-setting process. In March, city staff presented recommendations to increase water rates by 3.9 percent and sewer rates by 5.5 percent. The council voted 5-1 to reject those recommendations in June. The council met for a study session on Aug. 10 to figure out a path forward. City staff still recommended raising rates because the city has forecasted the need to generate a certain amount of revenue to finance Water2025, or replacing the Semper Water Treatment Facility. Yet, the council ultimately didn’t agree on a solution. “I am very disappointed, and I think our community deserved better,” said Mayor Anita Seitz at Tuesday’s study session. “No amount of data is enough to SEE WATER, P4
Census Bureau: Adams County grew by 17.7% over decade New data show county has very low housing vacancy rate BY MARK HARDEN MHARDEN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The population of Adams County grew by 17.7% between 2010 and 2020, making it the seventh-fastestgrowing county in Colorado out of 64 counties. That’s according to redistricting data released Aug. 12 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Adams County’s population rose to 519,572 last year, up from 441,603 a decade earlier, the Census Bureau reported.
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 20
The county’s growth rate was higher than the 14.8% growth rate of Colorado as a whole. Adams is the fifth-most-populous county in Colorado, behind El Paso, home to Colorado Springs (730,395); Denver (715,522); Arapahoe (655,070); and Jefferson (582,910); and ahead of Larimer (359,066) and Douglas (357,978). The new census data also showed that Adams County in 2020 had a housing unit vacancy rate of 4.3%, tied with Jefferson and Douglas for the lowest rates in Colorado and well below the state average of 9.4%. Statewide, the fastest-growing county between 2010 and 2020 was Broomfield, with a 32.6% growth rate, the new numbers show. Broomfield ranked No. 30 among the nation’s fastest growing coun-
ties. That was followed by Weld County (30.1%), Douglas County (25.4%), lightly-populated Mineral County (21.5%), Larimer County (19.8%), Denver County (19.2%), Adams County (17.7%), El Paso County (17.4%), Arapahoe County (14.5%) and Elbert County (12.9%). Meanwhile, 15 of Colorado’s 64 counties lost population over the 10-year period, led by Kit Carson County, with a loss rate of 14.3%. The Census Bureau released the first local-level results from its 2020 census to give Colorado and other states the data they need to redraw the boundaries of congressional and legislative election districts. In Colorado, that process is under way by twin newly-established independent commissions.
REGISTERING HISTORY Forgotten sites tell an interesting tale
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