Budget

Northwest Lakewood Sanitation District, the “District”, provides sewage collection and transmission services to approximately 4,400 connecting taps in the service area which is located in Jefferson County. The District discontinued operation of its sewage treatment facility on September 30, 2004, with Metro Water Recovery District providing treatment.

The District has entered into Intergovernmental Agreements with College Park Water and Sanitation District, Applewood Sanitation District and Westridge Sanitation District to provide collection and transmission services to approximately 500 connecting taps within the service areas of College Park Water and Sanitation District, Applewood Sanitation District, and Westridge Sanitation District.

The 2022 budget was prepared in accordance with the Local Budget Law of Colorado. The budget reflects the projected spending plan for the 2022 fiscal year based on available revenues. This budget provides for the general operation of the District, and a business-like enterprise for the collection of sewage, and capital repair to the collection system.

The District’s 2021 net assessed value increased by 10.13%, to $271,652,683. The District’s mill levy for 2021 is 5.661 mills due to the limitations of the TABOR amendment to the Colorado Constitution.

Budgetary Basis of Accounting

The District uses funds to budget and report on its financial position and results of its operations. Fund accounting is designed to demonstrate legal compliance and to aid financial management by segregating transactions related to certain functions. The various funds determine the total District budget. The District’s General Fund is considered a Governmental Fund and is reported using the economic resources focus and the accrual basis of accounting. The District’s Sanitation Enterprise Fund is also reported using the economic resources focus and the accrual basis of accounting. Revenues are recorded when earned and expenses recorded when the liability is incurred, regardless of the timing of the related cash flows. Property taxes are recognized as revenues in the year for which they are levied.

Fund Summaries

General Fund is used to account for resources traditionally associated with government such as property taxes, specific ownership tax and expenditures which include district administration, legal services, treatment charges and other expenses related to statutory operations of a local government. The General Fund’s primary sources of revenue are property taxes and specific ownership taxes.

Sanitation Enterprise Fund accounts for the operations that are financed and operated in a manner similar to private business enterprise, where the intent is that costs of providing services to the public on a continuing basis be financed primarily through user charges. The District contracts for repair and maintenance services. Maintenance and repairs have been estimated by the District’s engineer. The estimated expenditures include periodic cleaning of certain mains. Capital outlay expenditures in the enterprise fund include repairs to the system which was constructed approximately 60+ years ago. In 2009, the District initiated an annual Facilities Renovation and Services Fee which is expected to result in $2,250,000 in revenue in 2022. The majority of the proceeds from this fee will be used to continue to repair older infrastructure.

Emergency Reserve

As required by Section 20 of Article X of the Colorado Constitution (“TABOR”), the District has provided for an Emergency Reserve in the amount of 3% of the total fiscal year revenue in the General Fund.

The 2022 adopted budget can be viewed here.

Prior year budgets can be viewed on the Colorado Department of Local Affairs website.