Colorado Code § 32-1-207

Compliance - modification - enforcement
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(1) Upon final approval by the
court for the organization of the special district, the facilities, services, and financial
arrangements of the special district shall conform so far as practicable to the approved service
plan.
(2) (a) After the organization of a special district pursuant to the provisions of this part 2
and part 3 of this article, material modifications of the service plan as originally approved may
be made by the governing body of such special district only by petition to and approval by the
board of county commissioners or the governing body of the municipality that has adopted a
resolution of approval of the special district pursuant to section 32-1-204.5 or 32-1-204.7 in
substantially the same manner as is provided for the approval of an original service plan; but the
processing fee for such modification procedure shall not exceed two hundred fifty dollars. Such
approval of modifications shall be required only with regard to changes of a basic or essential
nature, including but not limited to the following: Any addition to the types of services provided
by the special district; a decrease in the level of services; a decrease in the financial ability of the
district to discharge the existing or proposed indebtedness; or a decrease in the existing or
projected need for organized service in the area. Approval for modification shall not be required
for changes necessary only for the execution of the original service plan or for changes in the
boundary of the special district; except that the inclusion of property that is located in a county
or municipality with no other territory within the special district may constitute a material
modification of the service plan or the statement of purposes of the special district as set forth in
section 32-1-208. In the event that a special district changes its boundaries to include territory
located in a county or municipality with no other territory within the special district, the special
district shall notify the board of county commissioners of such county or the governing body of
the municipality of such inclusion. The board of county commissioners or the governing body of
the municipality may review such inclusion and, if it determines that the inclusion constitutes a
material modification, may require the governing body of such special district to file a
modification of its service plan in accordance with the provisions of this subsection (2).
(b) Except as otherwise described in paragraph (d) of this subsection (2), a special
district shall not furnish domestic water or sanitary sewer service directly to residents and
property owners in unincorporated territory located in a county that has not approved the special
district's service plan unless the special district notifies the board of county commissioners of the
county of its plan to furnish domestic water or sanitary sewer service directly to residents and
property owners in the county and receives approval from the board to do so. Within forty-five
days of receiving the notification, the board may review the special district's planned action and
may, in its own discretion and following notice by the board, require a public hearing prior to
giving approval of the planned action, prior to which hearing the governing body of the special
district shall provide such information and data as the board reasonably requests. Failure to
provide information as requested by the board is grounds for the board to delay the public
hearing until the board receives the information. The board shall either approve or deny the
proposed action within one hundred twenty days of the public hearing.
(c) Before approving a planned special district action described in paragraph (b) of this
subsection (2), the board of county commissioners of a county shall, not less than forty-five days
prior to the first meeting of the board at which the approval specified in paragraph (b) of this
subsection (2) may be given, provide public notice in the manner that the county requires of the
possible approval within the newly described area to be served. The notice is required to include
specific notification that any property owner wishing to have his or her property excluded from
the proposed area to be served shall, not later than forty days from the first public notice, request
that his or her property be excluded from the proposed area to be served by the special district.
The board is not limited in its action with respect to exclusion of territory based on the request.
A request for exclusion shall include a legal description of the property subject to the request,
and the board shall act upon the request before taking final action on the request for approval
pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subsection (2).
(d) The requirements detailed in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subsection (2) do not
apply in the following circumstances:
(I) A special district provides domestic water or sanitary sewer service only to private
property owners pursuant to written agreement between the special district and the property
owners;
(II) A special district provides domestic water or sanitary sewer service within the
boundaries of another governmental entity, including, without limitation, a city, a municipality,
or another special district, pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement;
(III) A special district provides any storm drainage or storm sewer services or facilities
within the county; or
(IV) Domestic water service and sanitary sewer service is being provided, or a water or
sanitary sewer service area extension has been approved by the county into which the service
area is to be expanded, within unincorporated territory located in the county as of May 11, 2012.
(3) (a) Any material departure from the service plan as originally approved or, if the
same has been modified, from the service plan as modified, which constitutes a material
modification thereof as set forth in subsection (2) of this section, may be enjoined by the court
approving the organization of such special district upon its own motion, upon the motion of the
board of county commissioners or governing body of a municipality from which a resolution of
approval is required by this part 2, or upon the motion of any interested party as defined in
section 32-1-204 (1).
(b) No action may be brought to enjoin the construction of any facility, the issuance of
bonds or other financial obligations, the levy of taxes, the imposition of rates, fees, tolls and
charges, or any other proposed activity of the special district unless such action is commenced
within forty-five days after the special district has published notice of its intention to undertake
such activity. Such notice shall describe the activity proposed to be undertaken by the special
district and provide that any action to enjoin such activity as a material departure from the
service plan must be brought within forty-five days from publication of the notice. The notice
shall be published one time in a newspaper of general circulation in the district. The district shall
also provide notice to the district court. On or before the date of publication of the notice, the
district shall also mail notice to the board of county commissioners or governing body of a
municipality from which a resolution is required by this part 2.
(c) (I) Any special district created after July 1, 2000, shall file not more than once a year
a special district annual report for the preceding calendar year. Unless the requirement is waived
or otherwise requested by an earlier date by the board of county commissioners or by the
governing body of the municipality in which a special district is wholly or partially located,
commencing in 2023 for the 2022 calendar year, the annual report must be provided in
accordance with this subsection (3)(c) by October 1 of each year. The annual report must be
electronically filed with the governing body that approved the service plan or, if the jurisdiction
has changed due to annexation into a municipality, the current governing body with jurisdiction
over the special district, the division, and the state auditor, and such report must be electronically
filed with the county clerk and recorder for public inspection, and a copy of the report must be
made available by the special district on the special district's website pursuant to section 32-1-
104.5 (3).
(II) The report required by this subsection (3)(c) must include, as applicable for the
reporting year, but shall not be limited to:
(A) Boundary changes made;
(B) Intergovernmental agreements entered into or terminated with other governmental
entities;
(C) Access information to obtain a copy of rules and regulations adopted by the board;
(D) A summary of litigation involving public improvements owned by the special
district;
(E) The status of the construction of public improvements by the special district;
(F) A list of facilities or improvements constructed by the special district that were
conveyed or dedicated to the county or municipality;
(G) The final assessed valuation of the special district as of December 31 of the
reporting year;
(H) A copy of the current year's budget;
(I) A copy of the audited financial statements, if required by the "Colorado Local
Government Audit Law", part 6 of article 1 of title 29, or the application for exemption from
audit, as applicable;
(J) Notice of any uncured defaults existing for more than ninety days under any debt
instrument of the special district; and
(K) Any inability of the special district to pay its obligations as they come due under any
obligation which continues beyond a ninety-day period.
(III) Special districts operating under a consolidated service plan or serving the same
community may file a consolidated annual report setting forth the information contained in this
subsection (3)(c) for each of the special districts. The board of county commissioners or the
governing body of the municipality may review the annual reports in a regularly scheduled
public meeting, and such review must be included as an agenda item in the public notice for such
meeting. A special district is not required to file an annual report for any year in which the
special district was in inactive status for the entire year pursuant to section 32-1-104 (3).
(d) The state auditor shall review the annual report and report any apparent decrease in
the financial ability of the district to discharge its existing or proposed indebtedness in
accordance with the service plan to the division. In such event, the division shall confer with the
board of the special district and the board of county commissioners or the governing body of the
municipality regarding such condition. The division may establish a standard form for the annual
report that the board of a special district may elect to use.
(4) In the case of a health service district, a change in service by the district is not
deemed material unless the change affects the license or certificate of compliance issued by the
department of public health and environment. A health service district is exempt from subsection
(3)(b) and (3)(c) of this section.

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