“The South Metro Fire Rescue Fire Protection District is suing the town of Parker’s urban renewal authority, which was created to encourage development in blighted areas, accusing it of diverting hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars from the fire district that should have been used for fire, rescue and emergency services.
If the Parker Authority for Reinvestment keeps up its tax collecting program with no changes, the fire district could lose out on $16 million over the next 20 years, said Bob Baker, South Metro’s fire chief.
The fire district covers 179 square miles in Douglas and Arapahoe counties, including Parker as well as Castle Pines, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Foxfield, Greenwood Village and Lone Tree. ( See a coverage map here.)
“Parker is siphoning off money that is voter-approved for fire protection services,” Baker said. “People in Parker shouldn’t have to choose between public safety and economic development.”
And the fire district wants its money back, Baker said.
The complaint, filed Tuesday in District Court in Douglas County, contends that the Parker Authority for Reinvestment (PAR) is not complying with state law in its collection of tax dollars and thereby is not entitled to collect the money.”
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Mendoza, Monica. Denver Business Journal 6 June 2017.