In a parliamentary procedure that had him voting with his opponents Tuesday, Councilman Keith King salvaged a chance to have the city council reconsider a new Colorado Springs metro district that it rejected last month.

Metro districts let developers levy taxes so homebuyers help pay for infrastructure. An unlikely cadre of council members strongly opposes creating more such districts.

So Tuesday, facing a 4-4 council split that would have killed their prospects, representatives for two other districts sought and won delays to present their proposals for the Silver Hawk and the Mountain Valley metropolitan districts.

The council’s ninth member, Tom Strand, was in Washington, D.C., with the Regional Business Alliance on Tuesday.

A more torturous path ensued for the Tuscan Foothills Village Metro District.

First, King asked the council to reconsider the proposal it defeated last month “to give us a chance to make a more informed decision.”

Council President Merv Bennett suggested the item be moved to the council’s first work session in October “so all council can hear all the information and vote two weeks later.”

Councilman Bill Murray argued against that. “We’re not supposed to be proliferating these things. We’re not supposed to create special districts every time a developer wants to develop 17 acres,” Murray said.

Said Councilwoman Helen Collins, “Since I’ve been on council, this is the first time we’ve ever been asked for reconsideration. Pressure was put on one council member, and now it’s up for reconsideration. I will be voting no.”

King said he had simply gone to city Planning and Development Director Peter Wysocki for more details.

“There was nobody who pressured me to change my vote,” said the former state legislator.

“I thank Mr. King for working with the developer,” said council President Pro Tem Jill Gaebler, adding that metro districts are “the practice throughout the state . We are in desperate need of affordable housing.”

“This is not affordable housing,” countered Murray.

Bennett said, “I would like all nine of us to participate in this. Had there not been changes (in the proposal), I wouldn’t feel the same way.”

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King, knowing a tie vote would kill any reconsideration, joined Collins, Murray and Councilmen Don Knight and Andres “Andy” Pico in voting against his own request.

He had to have voted with the majority in order to make his request again, Bennett said.

“My guess is, he thought this would die on 4-4.”

Tuscan Foothills Village planned 2.3 acres of apartments and 14.82 acres of townhomes – 122 dwellings in all – to eventually house about 300 people along the west side of Centennial Boulevard south of Chuckwagon Road.

It planned to levy up to 30 mills, plus 7.5 mills for operations and maintenance.

So a residence valued at $250,000 and assessed at $19,900 would pay $796 a year solely to the metro district, the developer reported.

The other two would-be metro districts return for council hearings Sept. 26, with votes set for Sept. 27.

The Mountain Valley district would encompass about 37 acres and 141 single-family homes on the east side of Marksheffel Road south of Dublin Boulevard. It would levy 30 mills plus 10 mills for operations.

Silver Hawk would have 70 homes on about 14.75 acres west of Powers Boulevard and south of the Hancock Expressway. It also would levy 30 and 10 mills for improvements and operations, respectively.