In 2003, 2006 and again in 2009, the Colorado City Metropolitan Board of Directors instituted policies whereby Availability of Service (AOS) charges would be assessed on property where water, sewer, or both water and sewer lines were installed and ready for connection within one hundred feet of any property line. AOS charges are assessed solely for the purpose of paying principal of and interest on any outstanding indebtedness and shall not be used to pay any operation or maintenance expenses of, nor capital improvements within or for the district.
After incurring fines from the State Public Health in 2002, the District acquired a loan from the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority in the amount of $1,878,538. These loan funds were used to replace the Wastewater Treatment Plant. In 2006, the Water Treatment Plant had to be constructed to meet current and projected needs as well. The cost of this construction was $1,847,804.
The original water treatment and sewer plants were built in the 1960's with over 60 miles of water and sewer lines within the Colorado City Metropolitan District boundaries. Approximately, 1,000 residences and businesses are within the District, leaving insufficient funding available to maintain or meet current federal and state quality standards and expected usage requirements for either plant. The District acquired financing to meet the current and projected needs for the next 20 years. The AOS charges were assessed to help meet the principal and interest payments for these loans.
The property you own in Colorado City has the water and/or sewer lines available for you to tap into when you build on your property. Your property values reflect this availability of service. Not all lots can be developed easily, but we must bill all lots equitably.
You can quickly locate your property by using the Pueblo County website and entering the unit and lot numbers. The property can be viewed up close in a satellite image. A number of overlays can quickly inform the user of zoning, jurisdiction, etc. Additional information such as sales reports, abstracts, assessed valuations and average sales of new and existing homes is available. The website is located at www.co.pueblo.co.us. You will click on Departments, then Assessor, then Property Search.
You can click on the links below to view the 2003, 2006, and 2009 resolutions passed by the board and the State Statute concerning AOS charges (32-1-1006 CRS).