Requirements for Better Understanding Metropolitan Districts

Under current law, certain metropolitan districts are required to hold annual public meetings at which residents can ask questions about the metropolitan district and financial information about the metropolitan district is shared. The bill requires that, in addition to notice requirements under the Colorado open meetings law, notice of this annual meeting be provided by postcard or letter to residents mailed, at the lowest-cost option, to eligible electors within the metropolitan district or sent by electronic mail to any electronic mailing addresses that the metropolitan district has on file and be eligible electors have provided to the metropolitan district for the purpose of receiving communication from the metropolitan district. Additionally, notice of the annual meeting must be either posted on the homepage of the metropolitan district's website or accessible by a link on the homepage . The bill also requires that, if the annual meeting is held at a physical location and in a year immediately preceding a year in which a regular special district election will be held , there be available hard copies of self-nomination and acceptance forms, which are forms required to be filed for an eligible elector to be a candidate for a board position at a special district election.

The bill also requires that metropolitan districts that are required to have a publicly accessible website must establish a system or a process for residents to contact someone associated with the metropolitan district at times when district personnel is otherwise unavailable or unreachable to address any questions or concerns regarding services of the metropolitan district. Further, these metropolitan districts must establish a system or process for residents to contact someone associated with the metropolitan district outside of regular business hours or when metropolitan district personnel are otherwise unavailable or unreachable to address emergent matters that cannot wait to be addressed until regular business hours resume.

For a metropolitan district that is required to have a publicly accessible website, the bill requires the following additional information to be provided on the website:

• The date, time, and location of the annual meeting;
• An explanation of what a metropolitan districts are generally and district is, an explanation about how the metropolitan district operates district's services, debt, and public infrastructure, and an explanation of how a resident can serve on its board ;
• The services that the metropolitan district provides and, if a service to the metropolitan district's residents is not provided by the metropolitan district, the name of the entity that provides the service names of the governmental entities that overlap the metropolitan district's boundaries;
• The name of the county or municipality with which the metropolitan district must file its annual report; and
• The name and contact information of someone who residents can contact with questions or concerns about the services of the district during regular business hours and outside of regular business hours or when district personnel is otherwise unavailable or unreachable for emergent matters .

The bill also specifies that the following information must be provided on the home page of the metropolitan district's website:

• The names, terms, and contact information of individuals serving on the board of directors and of any manager of the metropolitan district;
• The date, time, and location of scheduled regular meetings, including the annual meeting;
• The call for nominations for candidates to run for election to the board of directors;
• Information about the services the metropolitan district provides and the services that are provided by other entities The names of the governmental entities that overlap the metropolitan district's boundaries ; and
• The name and contact information of who residents can contact with questions or concerns about the services of the district during regular business hours and outside of regular business hours or when district personnel is otherwise unavailable or unreachable for emergent matters .

The bill adds to the requirements of what a metropolitan district must include in its service plan when seeking approval of the service plan a requirement to include the maximum term for imposing a debt service mill levy on any property developed for residential purposes after the initial year of imposition of such debt service mill levy.

Current law requires that each owner of real property that sells real property that includes a newly constructed residence and that is in the boundaries of a metropolitan district must provide certain disclosures to purchasers of the property including access to the annually required notice to electors and the metropolitan district's service plan; information on the authority the metropolitan district has to issue debt, levy property taxes, and impose fees, rates, tolls, penalties, or other charges; an estimate of property taxes levied by the metropolitan district for collection during the year the sale occurs; and a copy of the most current certificate of taxes due or tax statement to provide an estimate of the sum of additional mill levies levied by other taxing entities that overlap the property. The bill requires this disclosure to be made by all owners of any residential real property, regardless of whether it is new construction, that is located within the boundaries of a metropolitan district organized after January 1, 2000. Additionally, the bill requires a written statement be included in the required disclosures that certain actions the metropolitan district is authorized to take may increase costs to residents living in the metropolitan district, and the property tax estimate disclosure requirement is modified to require that the estimate be given in a dollar amount. The bill also requires an owner of residential real property that is located within the boundaries of a metropolitan district organized after January 1, 2000, that sells the property to provide a hard copy of the explanation of what metropolitan districts are generally and how the metropolitan district operates that is required to be provided on the metropolitan district's website.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)