Otero/Aurora Issues Remain: Tribune-Democrat

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what hasn't been settled. It will.be the district board's decision to sign the IGA with Otero's outstanding issues or not, Arveschoug indicat- ed. The issues Otero County has formed a list of demands for Aurora in order to protect the county financially, according to Commissioner Kevin Karney. Some issues have been resolved meaning that the commission- ers, on behalf of the county, have agreed verbally to the decision, and the Aurora representatives have agreed to take the issues to their city council. Karney said nothing is technically _settled until the Aurora City Council makes a decision. • Payment in lieu of taxes. Otero County wants compensated for the loss of tax base when the water leaves and the irrigated farms.-are dried up. Aurora origi- nally agreed to PILT for 20 years and have since extended that to 90 years. Otero also wants Aurora to open up a previous agreement on PILT for land dried up in. the 1980s when Resource Investment Group, which bought the land and water associated.with the Rocky Ford sugar factory, sold, the water to Aurora. Back then Aurora agreed to PILT for the county and the fire protection district for 20 years to keep road improvements and fire protection to its newly acquired dryland, Karney said. While Aurora is agreeing to PILT for the county, fire protection and school district in this new sale, Otero wants the city to go back and agree to pay school taxes on the RIG land as well, and do it all for 90 years. "Aurora doesn't want to open up a previous case," Karney said after Wednesday's meeting. He said the city will consider holding discussions- directly with Rocky Ford School District about the RIG land taxes due and will review if any kind of lump sum payment to that district will affect the,state money appropriated to that public school system. "Whichever way is best for the school district — that's what we care about," Karney said. The commissioners will not step back from this request. • Comprehensive plan. Aurora representatives have agreed to take to that city's council the request that Aurora develop a comprehen- sive management plan for the thousands of acres in Otero Coun- ty it has come into with water sales. This is intended to' prevent the land from turning to noxious weeds or unrestricted development of prairie dog towns, for example. • Economic development. Otero originally asked Aurora to pay economic development fees to help Rocky Ford rebound from the loss of irrigated farms and possibly related businesses. According to Karney, Aurora said it would "nev- er— consent to that request, so Otero has dropped the issue. Rocky Ford is forming an eco- nomic development group that is working with Aurora on some kind of funding. • The ditch. Otero has requested the Aurora maintain 'the - Rocky Ford Ditch system to aid in drainage and to keep the system viable for the few remaining water owners (including the city of Rocky Ford and the Colorado State University Experiment Sta- tion) in perpetuity. The two have agreed on this issue.