The current economic downturn is forcing El Paso County and the city of Colorado Springs to tighten their belts and look for more funding sources.Colorado Springs is considering midyear budget cuts, and El Paso County will cut health services, road maintenance and park services. In an effort to control fuel costs, Sheriff Terry Maketa ordered deputies to park in strategic locations, instead of patrolling neighborhoods.To ease its budget problems, El Paso County officials will ask voters for a 1 percent sales tax increase in November.Meanwhile, Colorado Springs could look to unincorporated commercial development as potential revenue sources.County Commissioner Amy Lathen said she is looking into rumors that the city of Colorado Springs is making moves to annex parts of the Falcon area. “The indication was that it is a bid for commercial annexation,” Lathen said.She said she is a firm believer in local control. “We better start having a conversation about annexation,” Lathen said. “Falcon residents should view the entity of Colorado Springs as likely to annex.”She said the county should enumerate the current services provided to Falcon residents and how it would change if Falcon incorporated.”Each municipality has a different arrangement with the county,” Lathen said. “Let everyone (residents) make a decision what to do, but let them know all the facts before going to the polls.”Under Colorado law, annexations can take place in three ways: through an annexation election, or a landowner petitioning the city for annexation or a city could unilaterally annex an enclave.David Litzelman, senior planner for the city of Colorado Springs, said the city must receive a petition requesting annexation of commercial development from the landowner, although there is no law prohibiting the city from requesting that owners submit the petition. The landowner of retail land is usually the developer, Litzelman said.Tom Cline, who led last year’s bid for Falcon incorporation, said he is leery of Colorado Springs’ intentions. “Falcon’s commercial area is a half-mile from the Colorado Springs city limit,” Cline said. “If they (Colorado Springs) decide to annex the commercial land, there are no voting residents. They can do it anytime.”Cline said Falcon should incorporate before Colorado Springs annexes all of the commercial development. “There is no way to support a town without the businesses,” he said.Jeff Harrell, who opposed Falcon incorporation in 2007, said he believes the less government, the better. But, he said incorporation “will probably happen.””It’s not a reality to say we stand for no change,” Harrell said. “If we accept change, then we need to decide the best way to approach it.” Harrell said he would consider supporting a well-thought-out plan to incorporate Falcon.Growth in the Falcon area is the driving factor behind the changes. Information provided by the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments shows the Falcon population grew from 15,000 in 2000 to an estimated 25,000 by 2005. PPACG anticipates the population will exceed 71,000 by 2035. Theincreased residential development has led to commercial growth, including building-supply superstore Lowe’s – currently in negotiations for 22 acres at Highway 24 and Meridian Road.Cline said he believes this initial growth is only the beginning. “What would draw eight banks to the area?” he asked. “It means a lot more is coming.”A draft of the Falcon/Peyton master plan released July 2 indicates that urban densities will develop along the Highway 24 corridor, contiguous with the eastern border of Colorado Springs.Litzelman denied the city had immediate plans to annex any areas of Falcon. “The city’s annexation plan does not indicate potential annexation in the Falcon area,” he said.If the city would annex even a portion of the commercial area, it could hasten an incorporation effort in Falcon, as it did in Centennial, Colo.Sherry Patten, spokeswoman for the city of Centennial, said Greenwood Village’s annexation of commercial areas forced residents to consider incorporation.”Residents had been happy to remain unincorporated until Greenwood Village started picking off the commercial development,” Patten said. “They realized Greenwood Village would take all the revenue and leave them with nothing.”Patten said Centennial struggled financially following incorporation because Greenwood Village’s previous annexations stripped the area of commercial development. “The 1.5 percent sales tax wasn’t enough,” she said.In 2003, Centennial’s voters approved an auto tax and a 1 percent sales tax increase to fully fund services promised by the incorporation drive. “It would have been nice to have the revenue along I-25 and east on Arapahoe Road,” Patten said.Centennial also faced obstacles from the state annexation statute, which favors annexation by larger cities over the creation of new municipalities. Patten said Greenwood Village challenged Centennial’s incorporation; and, ultimately, the state Legislature amended the statute to give municipal incorporations – municipal was defined as a city with a minimum of 75,000 residents – precedence over annexations.According to Colorado statute, annexation bids from larger municipalities supersede incorporation efforts until 10 days before a scheduled incorporation election.While Cline said he would not lead a second incorporation effort, he would help anyone who wanted to try again. “If we want to have a town in the area of Falcon, the time for that to happen is now,” he said.
