Next year's budget, GLO Park update, see you at Orchard Park!

It's a great time to get involved and meet your neighbors!

The next district board meeting is tomorrow (Tuesday) October 21 at 4 p.m. and we’re discussing the budget for next year. It’s a great time to get involved and attend a meeting!

Next, the state has received two applications for housing and one for labs at the GLO Park site. I asked Lu Cordova if she would share the applications and she said no. The Denver Post also featured our story!

And finally, one of our neighbors came up with a great idea to get together at Orchard Park this Saturday afternoon! Keep scrolling for more information on all three topics.

Next Year’s Budget

The Pleasant View Metro District board’s next meeting is *tomorrow* Tuesday, October 21 at 4 p.m.! This is the first of three meetings where we discuss the 2026 budget. (Apologies for the last minute notice!!)

You are always invited and welcome to attend the meeting, but I think these next few are the most important to help set the direction of the district for the next year. These are your tax dollars we’re deciding how to spend, so join us to learn more about where they’re going.

My Budget Questions for Discussion

I’m looking forward to discussing the below questions with the board and district staff. Do you have other questions you’d like me to ask? You can also join in person to make a comment or ask questions at the end of the meeting.

Both Departments

• 1-3 year goals for both the parks and fire department, and how the 2026 budget helps achieve/move toward those goals

• Where the 2025 budget stands (surplus, deficit, and context for why that is)

• It’s been brought up in a lot of meetings I have that a significant portion of our tax revenue comes from the Stevinson dealership’s properties. They currently pay taxes to both West Metro Fire and Pleasant View for fire protection. In the future, they could decide to go through the legal process to exclude themselves from Pleasant View. I’d like to discuss how (or if) we keep them in the district, or if they leave, what our financial plan is for the future without that tax revenue.

Fire

• Now that we’ve contracted with Golden for fire inspector services, how will fire inspector hours be budgeted/prioritized?

Parks

• What is the plan for community engagement for 2026 planned projects?

How to get involved in the budget discussion

First, why should you care? Because these are your tax dollars! The district receives some revenue from facilities rentals and grants, but almost the entire budget is from our property taxes. I think you should understand how that gets spent.

Tuesday, 10/21, is when the board discusses the draft budget proposal. It’s been prepared by the fire chief and the district manager. The public can view the draft budget after the board has viewed it and the district should let us know how you can do that after the meeting.

The November 18 district board meeting is the public hearing, when the public can make comments after having the last month to review the budget. This is the “speak now or forever hold your peace” moment!

The final step is on December 9 when the board formally adopts the final 2026 budget. At this point, things are set in stone and we have to submit a budget to the state by December 15, so it’s too late at this point to provide feedback.

GLO Park update

Lu Cordova from the Governor’s Office told the board president (Adrian) and I that the state has submissions for both housing and for labs at Camp George West.

The state’s RFQ said the information about submissions would be released October 6. I asked Lu why the information hadn’t been released yet and she said that “all dates were only guidelines” in the RFQ. She also said they have a “short list” of submissions and are putting together an announcement. That was 10 days ago.

The Denver Post recently interviewed Adrian and I about the GLO Park. I thought the article turned out well! Thank you to our neighbor Bryann for sending our story in and thanks to John Aguilar for covering it.

This project is also on the board meeting agenda for Tuesday October 21 so other board members may have more information to share on Tuesday. I’ll let you know!

Orchard Park get-together

I don’t know which neighbor started this, but someone had the wonderful idea of a neighborhood get-together at Orchard Park on Saturday! Bring your own snacks, games, and seating Saturday October 25 at 2:00 p.m. See you there!!

More Pleasant View Events

The Pleasant View Fire Department will also be part of two Trunk or Treats on Saturday!

Come see Engine 41 and the firefighters at Jeffcom 911 (our 911 dispatcher), located at 433 S Allison Pkwy, Lakewood, CO 80226, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Pleasant View Fire will also be at our local VFW’s trunk or treat at 15625 W 10th Ave, Golden, CO 80401 from 3 - 5 p.m.

And! Save the date for Engine 41 day at Barrels and Bottles on November 1. Barrels and Bottles brews a special beer each winter named after Engine 41. Proceeds from the beer sales go toward the fire department’s Toys for Tots program!