Stonegate residents call in frequently with questions regarding the District.  Following is a list of frequently asked questions and answers:

1.)    Is there an alternative method of paying my bills i.e., by credit card or auto bill pay?    The District currently accepts checks, money orders, cash and phone payments using a credit card or your checking account.  There is a fee associated with making a phone payment.  Please call the district for details. 

2.)    Why is the water so expensive in Stonegate?  If the District is on wells, why isn't the water free?  Even though the District gets water from the aquifer, there is cost associated with treating and distributing the water.  The District currently has 15 wells, all of which cost a significant amount of money to drill and maintain, a water treatment facility, and miles of distribution lines to get the water to your homes.  On a daily basis, the entire system has to be checked to make sure that your service is uninteruppted.  The District continues to look for ways to improve service to the community, including the acquisition of renewable water.

3.)    Who decides to increase the water rates?  Do I have any input?  The District Board decides the water rates.  The water rates are based on providing enough revenue to cover operation and maintenance costs, as well as build a reserve for capital improvments.  You can provide input to the Board either in written form or by attending any of the Board meetings.  

4.)    Why does the District take care of the parks and recreation and not the HOA?  When the District was created, one of the purposes for it was to maintain parks and open space.  The District, being a governmental entity, has the ability to collect revenue to pay for these services.  The HOA does not maintain the parks because the District already had this service in place.

5.)    My mill levy is high, what does the District do with this money?  The mill levy you pay on your property tax bill goes primarily to pay off the debt that was acquired to build the water and sanitary sewer system.  A small portion of it goes to operations of the District.

6)  Why does the District water open space at times when residents are not permitted to?  The majority of the open space in Stonegate is irrigated with treated effluent water.  The District, because of agreements with a larger, regional watershed organization, has to discharge a certain amount back into the Cherry Creek Basin.  At times, we have more than we need to discharge, so it is used for irrigation purposes rather than letting it run out of Stonegate.

7)  Who do I call when I see a broken sprinkler in the parks or open space?  Please call the District office at 303-858-9909; tell them that you need to report a broken sprinkler.  After office hourse, the District's answering service will take the call and dispatch it to the appropriate person.

8)  Who do I call about my water, sewer, or parks and recreation bill?  Again, please call the District office at 303-858-9909.  Staff will be able to assist you with your questions or concerns.

9)  Last year our water rates went up; can I expect another increase this year?  It is likely that the District will need to implement annual increases in order to pay for costly improvements to our water system in the near future.  Stonegate currently gets all of its water from the acquifer (groundwater wells), which is a finite supply.  The District needs to obtain water from renewable sources (surface water, such as rivers) in order to ensure the long-term availability of water in Stonegate.  Renewable water is very expensive due to demand and location - it will require significant amount of piping and treatment to get it to Stonegate.  This means that the District needs to build up reserves, and likely issue more debt, in order to make sure every household has water in perpetuity. 

10). How can I make requests to the District for improvements to the pool or playgrounds?  You can do any of the following three things:  1)  talk to the District staff at 303-858-9909 and ask them to relay your requests to the Board; 2) write a letter to the District Board - it can be mailed to 2 Inverness Drive East, Ste 200, Englewood, CO 80112; or 3) attend a Board meeting, which meets the third Wednesday of every month at the same address as the mailing address at 5:00 p.m.