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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024 Ordinance No. 004 1 ORDINANCE NO. 4 COUNCIL BILL NO. 2 SERIES OF 2024 INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL MEMBER RUSSELL AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 57, SERIES OF 2023, FIXING THE TAX LEVY IN MILLS UPON EACH DOLLAR OF THE ASSESSED VALUATION OF ALL TAXABLE PROPERTY WITHIN THE CITY OF ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO. WHEREAS, it is the duty of the City Council of the City of Englewood, Colorado, under the Englewood Home Rule Charter and Colorado Revised Statutes, to make the annual property levy for City purposes; and WHEREAS, on the 2nd day of October, 2023, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 57, Series of 2023, setting the City’s 2024 tax levy, as required by Englewood City Charter 89; and WHEREAS, on the 20th day of November, 2023, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law SB23B-001, a property tax relief bill that lowered the Englewood property valuations upon which the City tax levy established by Ordinance No. 57 was based; and WHEREAS, on November 8, 2016, Englewood citizens approved Ballot Issue No. 2C, approving the issuance of General Obligation bonds to construct a new Englewood Police Department headquarters building and requiring the City to levy ad valorem property taxes “sufficient in each year to pay the principal … and interest on such debt”; and WHEREAS, on the 3rd day of January, 2024, the City of Englewood received updated property valuations as mandated by SB23B-001, and the mill levy of 2.100 established by Ordinance No. 57, Series of 2023 is insufficient to pay the principal and interest on the General Obligation bonds issued under Ballot Issue No. 2C; and WHEREAS, the City of Englewood is required to certify its tax levy to Arapahoe County no later than January 10, 2024; and WHEREAS, in order to comply with Ballot Issue No. 2C requiring a specific tax levy and Englewood Charter 89 requiring the tax levy be set by ordinance, and to meet the Arapahoe County mill levy certification deadline, the City of Englewood must adopt an emergency ordinance for the immediate preservation of public property; and WHEREAS, the following levy is permitted under Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution without additional vote by the citizens. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO, THAT: DocuSign Envelope ID: 016A5C6C-7CF9-48D7-8DA0-B52A7BA007F6 2 Section 1. That there be and hereby is levied for the year of 2023, due and payable as required by statute in the year 2024, a tax of 2.182 mills on the dollar for the Englewood Police Headquarters General Obligation Bond Debt Service Fund of the City of Englewood, Colorado. That the levy hereinabove set forth shall be levied upon each dollar of the assessed valuation of all taxable property within the corporate limits of the City of Englewood, Colorado, and the said levy shall be certified by law. Section 2. Unless specifically amended by Section 1 above, all other provisions of Ordinance No. 57, Series of 2023, shall be in full force and effect and unchanged by this Ordinance. Section 3. Emergency Declaration. The City Council of the City of Englewood hereby finds, determines and declares that an emergency exists under Charter 41, and that this ordinance is necessary for the immediate preservation of public property, health, welfare, peace or safety for the reasons enumerated in the introductory paragraphs of this ordinance, which are incorporated into this Section 3 by reference. The City Council further determines that the adoption of this ordinance as an emergency ordinance is in the best interest of the citizens of the City of Englewood, and the only available avenue to comply with voter directives, City Charter 89, and state-imposed deadlines for tax levy certification. Section 4. General Provisions Applicable to this Ordinance The following general provisions and findings are applicable to the interpretation and application of this Ordinance: A. Severability. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, or part of this Ordinance or the application thereof to any person or circumstances shall for any reason be adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remainder of this Ordinance or its application to other persons or circumstances. B. Safety Clauses. The City Council hereby finds, determines, and declares that this Ordinance is promulgated under the general police power of the City of Englewood, that it is promulgated for the health, safety, and welfare of the public, and that this Ordinance is necessary for the preservation of health and safety and for the protection of public convenience and welfare. The City Council further determines that the Ordinance bears a rational relation to the proper legislative object sought to be obtained. This Safety Clause is not intended to affect a Citizen right to challenge this Ordinance through referendum pursuant to City of Englewood Charter 47. C. Publication. Publication of this Ordinance may be in the City’s official newspaper, the City’s official website, or both. Publication shall be effective upon the first publication by either authorized method. D. Actions Authorized to Effectuate this Ordinance. The Mayor is hereby authorized and directed to execute all documents necessary to effectuate the approval authorized by DocuSign Envelope ID: 016A5C6C-7CF9-48D7-8DA0-B52A7BA007F6 3 this Ordinance, and the City Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to attest to such execution by the Mayor where necessary. In the absence of the Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem is hereby authorized to execute the above-referenced documents. The execution of any documents by said officials shall be conclusive evidence of the approval by the City of such documents in accordance with the terms thereof and this Ordinance. City staff is further authorized to take additional actions as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this Ordinance. Introduced and passed on first reading on the 8th day of January, 2024; and on second reading, in identical form to the first reading, on the 9th day of January, 2024. Othoniel Sierra, Mayor ATTEST: _________________________________ Stephanie Carlile, City Clerk I, Stephanie Carlile, City Clerk of the City of Englewood, Colorado, hereby certify that the above and foregoing is a true copy of an Ordinance, introduced and passed in identical form on first and second reading on the dates indicated above; and published within seven days after final passage on the City’s official website for at least thirty (30) days thereafter. The Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon final passage. Stephanie Carlile DocuSign Envelope ID: 016A5C6C-7CF9-48D7-8DA0-B52A7BA007F6