Maybe you’ve noticed the Walnut Hills G.I.D. on your property tax bill. It’s around 3 mills annually. You might ask for what that money pays.
In Colorado, legislation was adopted for the creation of general improvement districts. The purpose of the districts was to acquire, construct, install, operate, maintain public improvements, and to provide the services necessary to protect and enhance the health, safety, and welfare of residents. General Improvement Districts (also called Municipal Public Improvement Districts) are authorized by Sections 31-25-601 through 31-25-633 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. GID’s are initiated by petition of a majority of registered electors of a city who own real property in the proposed district.
In the early nineties, the Walnut Hills General Improvement District was created with the purpose of maintaining the periphery of Walnut Hills (the original GID creation document is available here pdf). Thus, our District maintains all of the subdivision’s perimeter fencing and landscaping. The Walnut Hills signs at the entries to the subdivision were constructed and installed with District funds, and after a particularly heavy blizzard, the sidewalk along Arapahoe Road has been cleared with District funds.
In 2011, to the tune of $155,000, the fence was replaced on Dry Creek and Quebec Streets.
Although the City of Centennial disburses the funds for tasks conducted for the District, it does so upon recommendation and approval of a G.I.D. representative and the Walnut Hills Civic Association. That representative is appointed by the Centennial City Council and is, usually, although not legally required to be, an officer of the association that has boundaries in common with the District (Walnut Hills).