Town of Foxfield

I am very dedicated to present all the information I can gather as to the pros and cons of this issue. I would appreciate any and all help to get the facts to the residents without prejudice. If you are interested in helping, please call. In order to get this on the ballot, we need 25% of the registered voters signatures by Feb. In order to pass we need 2/3rds of the voters.

Several interested residents met at my house Mon. night to discuss and distribute petitions to get this issue on the April ballot. Bryan Weimer,of Arapahoe County, Development Services/Infrastructure Management(720-874-6500) presented information regarding Arapahoe County's responsiblity to us if we unincorporated. They would provide us with the usual services, ie; police,fire,pet control etc. and we would be placed on a list of roads to be paved, and/or serviced. Placement would depend on need and service cost(the more cost, the greater the need to be paved/resurfaced road base).Cost could be paid by the county, split with county and residents or all paid by residents depending on how it is structured with the county. Apparently neither Aurora nor Centennial would annex us because we have little sales tax revenue, according to officials. Bryan stated, in his opinion, that Foxfield can not be viable as a town with no sales tax revenue.
Of course, there are other issues regarding unincorporation. Marie Mackenzie stated these losses from dissolution:''1. Land use decisions no longer made within this community 2.Road decisions made by others 3.Shareback taxes go away and very likely spent out of Foxfield 4.No longer able to collect sales tax and fees 5.No longer eligible for Conservation Trust Fund for open space,trails or park in the town 6.No longer ''at the table''in negotiations with government agencies 7.Loss of real community identity''.
We all need to analyze all pros and cons and make an informed decision based on what is important to us and for the good of all.
Please ask questions and provide any documented information on this issue. There are lots of unanswered questions and some have no definitive answer but the biggest question is, Do we have the finances,the knowledge, the time, the ability, the manpower to remain the ''Town of Foxfield''?

Do NOT unincorporate

Dear Lynn, Thanks for the mailbox flyer and for taking the initiative. Here are my two cents worth:

Issues residents are upset about now can be better resolved without unincorporating. The reasons for staying incorporated have not changed from when we incorporated long ago. We do not want to be annexed by Aurora. Aurora's zoning is different (for our category). Aurora would allow houses on lot sizes of 1 acre. This would permit every Foxfield resident who wanted to subdivide and increase our density. We would lose our country lifestyle. If Foxfield residents want to make changes, run for trustee.

By Mark Edwards

Rational Decisions

I don't disagree with the option of un-incorporating the town. Let's face it, there is no real revenue source here - and raising my personal taxes is not an option. I have also wondered why we (Foxfield) keep using our commercial land for non-profits, i.e. churches, that give the town more traffic but no additional revenue. But that's for another discussion.

On the flip side, I think you have to look at the reason Foxfield exists in the first place. I don't want condos, tract housing and 7-11's in our neighborhood. If we unincorporate, can we maintain our country lifestyle? Or can we set a covenant like Chenango?

I'd love to see Arapahoe county pay for the roads. But I believe we have to look at the ''ultimate'' cost. I think un-incorprating the town sounds good on the surface, but I would very much like to see both sides clearly to make a rational - not emotional - decision.

One septic per 2 acres is normal

Mark:

Your concern for low-density housing is mine, also. But from what I know, it may not be a problem.

When we built our home four years ago, we were told by Tri-County Health department that due to separation requirements, you can only get one home on a two acre lot.

We were told that septic systems had to be separated by a certain number of feet from water wells. Don?’t quote me on this number, but it was something like 100 feet or more. I remember the day they were out measuring so that we could figure out where to put the well and the septic system. They measured to each well and septic at each neighbor?’s home.

At first I thought that with two acres we would have no problems finding a good spot for the septic system. Well, after measuring, it turned out that there were very few places to install it. The representative told us that because of the distance rules, homes out here need two acres.

If sub-division concerns you, perhaps calling Tri-County would provide information to ease your concern.

You also wrote that if Foxfield residents want to make a change, they should run for office. By petitioning to unincorporate, Foxfield residents are exercising their rights to make a change. Besides, who would want to be a trustee when there are so many citizens upset with the way things have gone?

Mark, on a sort-of related subject, is it your home that is for sale on the Internet?

Respectfully,
Raul D. Boerner