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September 11, 2014 VOLU M E 51 | I SS UE 4 | 5 0 ¢
Northglenn-ThorntonSentinel.com A D A M S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
RUNNING FOR THE WIN
‘There is a high correlation between job growth and population change.’ Elizabeth Garner
Reasons to feel crowded
Metro-area population at 3 million By Vic Vela
vvela@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Senior quarterback Ayden Karraker takes off down the field in the 42-40 win over Chatfield on Friday at 1st Bank Field. Karraker had 23 carries for 127 yards rushing and went 11-18 with a total of 162 yards passing and one touchdown. See story on Page 20. Photo by Pam Wagner
POSTAL ADDRESS
Retail marijuana tax goes to ballot Voters asked to approve 3 percent sales tax county wide By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@colorado communitymedia.com
NORTHGLENN-THORNTON SENTINEL (ISSN 1044-4254) (USPS 854-980) OFFICE: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Adams County, Colorado, the NorthglennThornton Sentinel is published weekly on Thursday by MetroNorth Newspapers, 8703 Yates DR., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WESTMINSTER, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. G ET SOCIAL WITH US
P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
Despite the concerns of the district attorney and the sheriff, the Adams County Board of County Commissioners approved a ballot measure asking voters to authorize a sales tax on recreation marijuana. The 2-1 vote happened during the board’s Sept. 2 regular meeting. Commissioners Charles “Chaz” Tedesco, District 2, and Eva Henry, District 1, voted in favor. District 3 Commissioner Erik Hansen voted against. If approved, a 3 percent sales tax would be applied to recreation marijuana and recreation marijuana products throughout the entire county, even the incorporated cities. This would affect Northglenn, which allows retail sales, and Aurora which will allow it beginning Oct. 1. Hansen, Sheriff Doug Darr and District Dave Young urged the board to consider not the sales tax question, but instead if county residents wanted to allow retail marijuana in unincorporated areas at all. Right now the county has a moratorium on retail marijuana that expires at the end
of this year. “My concern is we haven’t seen in discussions yet when it comes to public safety,” said Darr. “The district attorney’s office, the educational community, the medical community, the substance abuse community — I believe they ought to have the opportunity to weigh in. More importantly the people who live within the communities in the neighborhoods ought to have something to say about it. They need to know what their community will look like.” Young added that his concern was not about the “40-year-olds or the adults who smoke marijuana for recreational purposes. It’s the message we give our kids when we allow marijuana industries to come to Adams County. That it’s OK to have marijuana.” He said the advertising done by retail marijuana stores could prompt teens to smoke it, which makes efforts to reduce truancy and drop-out rates harder to accomplish. The sale of retail marijuana and retail marijuana products is currently taxed by the state of Colorado with a small percentage of the tax being shared back among all of the communities, according to county attorney Heidi Miller. “The current state sales and excise tax structure on retail marijuana and retail marijuana products is not designed to provide an equitable share
back of the tax revenue to the communities from which revenue is derived,” she said. If voters approve the 3 percent sales tax on retail marijuana and retail marijuana products the revenue would pay for educational programs and for direct and indirect costs incurred by the county related to regulating and licensing such establishments, Miller said. Henry and Tedesco stressed that passing the sales tax measure would not mean retail marijuana establishments could operate in unincorporated Adams County — that is a decision the board will have to make by 2015. Tedesco said it was the board’s responsibility to ensure tools were in place in case the current or future boards do decide to allow marijuana retail. Plus, he added, the county needed to address the cities that do allow these establishments — Northglenn and Aurora. Hansen, who voted against placing the tax measure on the ballot, said while he respected the voters’ decision in 2012 to decriminalize recreation marijuana use, he did not think most voters wanted retail establishments in their neighborhoods. According to the ballot language, the county expects to generate $1,260,000 annually in the first fiscal year (2016) if the tax measure passes.
The population of the Denver metro area was expected to exceed 3 million last month, according to state estimates. The Colorado Department of Local Affairs uses the month of July to forecast population numbers annually. The department estimated that the Denver metro area’s population on July 1 would have been 2,994,534 and would have passed the 3 million mark in August. Elizabeth Garner, a state demographer, said the average monthly increase in population in the Denver metro area is 3,551, meaning its population reached 3 million in mid-August. Garner said the growing population can be attributed to a healthy economy in the Denver area. “There is a high correlation between job growth and population change,” she said. “We’re toward the top in the U.S. in terms of recovery and growing jobs.” Garner said population numbers in Larimer and Weld counties are growing at an even faster rate than the Denver metro area, thanks to high job growth in the oil and gas industry there. But other parts of the state, such as the Western Slope and parts of the southeast, are losing residents. Garner said that can attributed to jobs leaving those parts of the state and not coming back. “If you don’t have a job, it’s hard to stay,” she said.
External auditor to review stormwater program Board wants an outsider to review administration issues By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@colorado communitymedia.com An external auditor is being brought in to investigate the Adams County Stormwater Utility program after an annual financial report showed deficiencies in its administration. Meanwhile, a lawsuit is still pending against the county over the fee, which some objectors claim is a tax. The Adams County Board of Commissioners unanimously decided to bring in the external auditor during its Sept. 2 regular meeting. Auditor continues on Page 5