By Shemi Shlomo

In the late 1980s, downtown Manitou Springs faced a serious problem: too few parking spaces, which harmed the ability of local businesses to attract customers. The solution didn’t come from City Hall — it came from local citizens and business owners who took matters into their own hands.

In 1989, their advocacy led to the creation of the Manitou Springs Metropolitan District, a local entity dedicated solely to solving downtown’s parking shortage. Funded at first by just over 100 downtown businesses and property owners, the district’s early efforts paid off. Using local tax dollars, it purchased and developed the Wichita Lot, transforming a former motel site into 84 much-needed parking spaces.

Since then, the district’s work has become a success story. It added another parking lot in 2010 — the Smischny Lot on Manitou Avenue — and recently acquired the Ute Pass Motel property, with plans for up to 44 new parking spaces. It has also improved pedestrian access, beautified public areas, and maintained its facilities.

The district has accomplished all of this while cutting taxes. The initial mill levy of 14 mills in 1990 has been reduced to just 0.44 mills in 2025 — a more than 30-fold reduction. Last year, the district collected only $5,057 in property taxes, or about $33 per property owner. Meanwhile, the district’s parking revenue exceeded $394,000, fully covering operations and investments without burdening local taxpayers.

The district is a model of local control, fiscal responsibility, and community investment. It works — and it has benefited Manitou Springs’ small businesses, residents and visitors.

Now, downtown Manitou Springs and the district are facing a new problem: the potential for the City of Manitou Springs to seize control of this parking infrastructure as City Hall scrambles to backfill its budgets.

The city is seeking to dissolve the district and assume control of its assets — its parking lots, revenue and responsibilities. State law allows cities to take such action under certain conditions, but the district’s Board of Directors believes this move is misguided and potentially harmful.

The city argues that dissolution will reduce “redundancies” between its parking department and the district’s parking services. We disagree. The city recently shifted $400,000 from its Parking and Mobility Fund into its general fund, and it faces significant budget pressures following a decline in marijuana tax revenue.

We believe the city’s attempt to take over the district’s parking assets is less about efficiency and more about filling the city’s budget gaps — a short-term fix that could threaten the long-term stability of downtown parking.

The district is singularly focused on serving downtown’s businesses, property owners and visitors — at the lowest possible cost to local taxpayers. Transferring control to the city would jeopardize ongoing projects, including the redevelopment of the Ute Pass Motel site and the maintenance of existing lots.

Another troubling issue is the potential loss of fiscal transparency and accountability that could follow a city takeover. The district’s small, efficient structure has kept costs low and service levels high — an approach that would not likely be replicated by the city.

The Manitou Springs Metropolitan District has proven itself over 35 years of consistent service, prudent management, and community benefit. Dissolving it now risks undoing decades of local collaboration and reinvestment in the downtown. It would negatively impact local businesses.

The city should cease this unnecessary and potentially consequential effort to take over the district. A district judge has scheduled a special election for March 3, 2026, when the district’s eligible voters will need to weigh in on the city’s dissolution request.

The district’s board has voted unanimously to recommend that its electors vote against the city’s dissolution request at the special election.

We believe our constituents — downtown businesses, their employees, and their customers — would be harmed by the city’s effort. We hope that voters take time to learn about the district, understand the facts about dissolution, and make an informed choice when they receive their ballots in early February.

Shemi Shlomo is president of the Manitou Springs Metro District Board, owner of Flying Eagle and other businesses in Manitou Springs, and a resident of the city for more than 20 years.