Fort Lupton approves adjustable 70-mill post-debt levy limit for proposed industrial district
Before debt is issued, the operations and maintenance levy is capped at 55 mills; debt and repayment fees cannot begin until the city approves a development plan. Each phase still requires public hearings and final city review.
The Fort Lupton City Council approved a service plan for the proposed Fort Lupton 277 Metropolitan District to serve a proposed industrial development. Once the district issues debt, its combined debt and operations property-tax levy is capped at 70 mills, subject to adjustments tied to assessment or tax changes.
Before debt is issued, the district’s operations and maintenance levy is capped at 55 mills. Changes to property-assessment methods or tax credits, cuts or abatements on or after Jan. 1, 2022, can adjust the debt, operations and combined caps. The plan aims to prevent those changes from increasing or decreasing actual tax revenue. The district cannot issue debt, impose a debt levy or collect debt-repayment fees until the city approves a development plan.
The proposed development lies southwest of the intersection of Weld County Road 33 and Weld County Road 8. An applicants’ representative said the project team had begun designing on-site and off-site improvements, including water and sewer lines that need to run 2 miles west to connect to Fort Lupton’s system. “The District allows us to put in the big backbone improvements for a large development upfront,” the representative said. The district could also attract private investment and bring development forward sooner, the representative said.
The district could finance streets and traffic controls, water systems, storm and sanitary sewers, and parks and recreation facilities. The applicants’ executive summary estimates public improvements at $35,734,770.96 in 2026 dollars, with construction anticipated over at least six years. The district could issue up to $44 million in debt, excluding refundings.
Each development phase still requires public hearings and final city review and approval. Approving the service plan does not approve zoning, subdivision, building permits or other land-use matters. A presenter said a formation election was expected, hopefully in November, followed by a court order and decree generally issued in December.