Council votes to dissolve CPN Metro District
Information provided by the City of Castle Pines North
The City of Castle Pines North filed an application for dissolution with the Castle Pines North Metropolitan District on February 5.
The city council had the authority to take the first step to initiate dissolution proceedings because the district is located entirely within the city limits. State law governs the dissolution process, which involves several steps.
Now that an application for dissolution has been filed with the district, the metro district is required to file a petition for dissolution in Douglas County District Court. The petition must contain several elements such as a map of the district’s territory, current financial statement, a plan for disposition of assets and financial obligations, plan for dissolution, and designation of which entity will be responsible for the continuing provision of services.
Once a dissolution petition is filed, the court sets a hearing to take comments from interested parties and considers the adequacy of the petition. The court is required to publish notice of the hearing.
Following the hearing, the district court will determine the sufficiency of the petition and order an election to seek voter approval of the dissolution. If a majority of the voters within the city/district boundaries approve the question of dissolution, an order of dissolution will be issued.
Although dissolution proceedings are now under way, City Manager Alan Lanning notes that the two parties can still negotiate an agreement.
“The council remains committed to maintaining an open and honest dialogue with their metro district colleagues to achieve a cooperative integration of services that ultimately will be in the best interest of all our citizens,” said Lanning.
