Mead residents question $16.6 million police building amid construction pause
Voters rejected the project four times since 2018, but the town moved forward with a new financing method and a groundbreaking ceremony last month.
By Emmanuel Faure ·
Construction on a new police station in Mead, Colorado, is currently halted behind fencing, even though the town held a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility just last month.
The project carries a price tag of $16.6 million. This sum is being scrutinized by residents in the Weld County town, which has fewer than 8,000 people and a police force consisting of 17 sworn officers and 3 civilians.
Since 2018, Mead voters have rejected funding proposals for a new police facility four times. Instead of returning to the ballot, town officials are using Certificates of Participation, or COPs, to finance the build. This method spreads the cost out over 16 years rather than requiring an immediate tax vote.
Don Smith, a Mead resident for 11 years, said he felt blindsided by the plan. He argued that the financing structure places a heavy burden on future taxpayers if the town does not grow as predicted.
“It is going to debt when you pull out a $22 million loan that's going into debt, and you're putting it on the backs on future growth. If we don't grow, then you're putting it on the backs of the current people, maybe going bankrupt,” Smith said.
Mead Police Chief Brent Newbanks defended the project, stating the building is designed to house up to 40 officers. He noted that approved development could triple the town's population to more than 20,000 residents.
Newbanks said the facility is intended to support the community for decades. “By using COPS and spreading that cost out over the next 16 years, it seems like an intelligent move to get the facility in place that will be needed,” he said.
Newly elected town board members are expected to discuss zoning approval for the project later this month. Smith suggested the town consider other uses for the site, such as a community center, and urged officials to listen to resident concerns.
“We need to be more conservative, and we need to hear the residents. And when the residents say no, that means no,” Smith said.
