Three owner protests put the Council in a Board of Equalization hearing Monday on two streetscape districts

The Denver City Council's agenda for Monday, Nov. 16, was revised Friday to add a hearing: after a recess, the Council will sit as a quasi-judicial Board of Equalization "to consider reduction of total cost assessments" in two local maintenance districts (meeting).

Why it matters: local maintenance districts charge nearby property owners for the upkeep of streetscape extras like planters, special lighting and pavers. Owners who think their share is wrong can file a written protest, and the Council then hears it. In a quasi-judicial hearing, members decide based on what's presented at the hearing.

The protests

According to the agenda, three written protests were filed with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure by the Oct. 29 deadline:

• 32nd and Lowell Pedestrian Mall, one protest (26-1768).
• St. Luke's Pedestrian Mall, two protests (26-1769).

The agenda doesn't identify the owners or say what they objected to, and no documents had been posted with either item as of Saturday.

No protests were filed for nine other districts, so the Council won't sit as the Board for them: 15th Street, Delgany Street, East 13th Avenue, Expanded Greek Town, West 32nd Avenue, Consolidated Morrison Road and the three South Broadway Streetscape districts.

32nd and Lowell: a bill that's already law

The 32nd and Lowell district, in Amanda Sandoval's District 1, was created in 1992. Its 2027 bill, 26-1529, sets the cost at $79,200, the same as this year (our story).

The bill splits that among 44 parcels. The charges range from $120.48 to $14,275.95; the two largest are $14,275.95 and $10,819.37, and 37 of the 44 are between about $150 and $4,400.

The Council passed it Nov. 9, on a motion by Amanda Sawyer seconded by Chris Hinds, and the mayor signed it Friday, Nov. 13, according to the city's legislative records. The bill includes a finding that "the Council sitting as a Board of Equalization has heard and determined all written complaints and objections, if any." The hearing on this district's protest is Monday, a week after passage. The agenda doesn't say how a reduction would be applied to an ordinance already signed.

St. Luke's: the bill isn't filed yet

The St. Luke's district covers the area bounded by Court Place, Park Avenue West, Clarkson Street, 18th Avenue and Logan Street, in District 9 and District 10. Its 2027 cost is $176,067.37, which the city's request says is a 40% cut (our story).

That bill, 26-1699, cleared the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by consent Nov. 11 and is on the Nov. 17 Mayor-Council agenda (meeting). It hasn't been introduced. Until the bill text is filed, the per-parcel charges aren't public.

How assessments work

Under the bill language, assessments are due Jan. 1 of the year after the ordinance takes effect and are delinquent if not paid by the end of February. Unpaid assessments become a lien on the property. Any money the district doesn't spend stays with it for future maintenance.

Also after the recess

The Council then sits as the board for six general improvement districts and holds required public hearings on their 2027 budgets, including RiNo's $2.7 million in planned capital work (our story).

Watch

Monday, Nov. 16: The meeting starts at 3:30 p.m. The Board of Equalization comes after the recess (meeting).