As a local government agency d and governed by State law, Meridian Service Metropolitan District follows federal and state laws and the Governor’s policy for lowering the U.S. flag.

The Governor of the State of Colorado may order the United States flag and the Colorado State flag lowered at federal and state facilities, pursuant to the enactment of H.R. 692 as of June 29, 2007, for any Colorado service member killed while serving on active duty. The policy of Governor Jared Polis is to order the United States and Colorado flags lowered on the day of the service member’s funeral, and for the flags to remain lowered for the duration of the day.

The Governor may order the Colorado flag lowered following a Presidential order or request to lower the United States flag. This typically occurs following the death of a present or former official of the federal government, a principle figure, on marked occasions such as Memorial Day, or following a national tragedy.

The Governor may order the United States flag and Colorado flag lowered to honor the death of any present or former official of state government, on the day of the official’s funeral.

The Governor may order the Colorado flag lowered when deemed appropriate in response to a specific incident, such as a statewide or national tragedy or when a law enforcement officer or firefighter dies in the line of duty. The Governor also may delegate authority to local officials to lower flags within their jurisdiction. The policy of Governor Jared Polis is to order the United States and Colorado flags lowered on the day of the law enforcement officer or firefighter’s funeral, and for the flags to remain lowered for the duration of the day

While metropolitan districts can provide a wide array of services, the Meridian Service Metro District provides water, wastewater, stormwater, streetlights, recreation, park and trails services that make Meridian Ranch such a unique community. MSMD is responsible for the construction and maintenance of primary community-wide improvements such as the water, sewer, storm drains, streetlights, recreational and park facilities, parkway landscaping, and some roads.

A metropolitan district, like Meridian Service Metropolitan District, is a quasi-municipal corporation and political subdivision of the state of Colorado. It is one form of a special district. Metropolitan districts are established under Title 32 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. They are a limited power government; that is, they only have the powers granted to them by their service plan. MSMD's service plan is to provide the Meridian Ranch community with its water, wastewater services, parks, recreation, stormwater collection, and streetlights.

The monthly fees are used for the community's water supply, wastewater services, recreation, parks, trail maintenance, storm water system and street lighting. The cost is kept affordable because the District is a non-profit entity whose goal is to provide the residents of Meridian Ranch with the amenities and services they need.
 

During the build-out of the Meridian Ranch community, the board of directors of MSMD will consist of 5 representatives of the developer. As the community grows and reaches build-out, like all metro districts, the property owners will elect their own representative board of five members.

By Colorado state law, metropolitan district board meetings are open to the public. MSMD holds monthly meetings at the Meridian Ranch Community Center generally on the first Wednesday following the first Tuesday of the month at 10:30 am. See the meeting schedule for the latest updates.
 

The day-to-day management and operations of MSMD is the responsibility of the District's General Manager who is accountable to the Board of Directors. Since February 2021, the General Manager has been Jim Nikkel.

Mr. Nikkel has over 35 years of experience with Special Districts including time spent in the private sector consulting to Special Districts as well as working directly for Special Districts. During his career with Special Districts, Jim's responsibilities have included managing staffs with as many as 65 employees, developing and overseeing teams of subject matter experts for the design, federal permitting, and construction of Rueter-Hess Reservoir, a 75,000 ac.-ft. surface water storage project located southwest of Parker, Colorado.

Additionally, Jim has managed the design and construction of a 2 million gallon per day (MGD) water reclamation plant, a 5 MGD water treatment plant, the drilling and equipping of 13 Denver Basin ground water wells and well houses as well as many miles of pipelines. Jim also brings with him experience in managing open spaces, parks, and recreational facilities including experience in water conservation programs for both residents as well as District facilities.

Stonebridge is governed by a homeowners' association. However, the rest of the Meridian Ranch community is governed by Conditions, Covenants, and Restrictions (CC & R's), which are enforced by Design Review Councils. The HOA and the DRCs are managed by Warren Management, www.warrenmgmt.com or (719) 534-0266.
 

Like all metropolitan districts, the District receives property taxes from the homeowners within its boundaries of service. This mill levy (property tax) is to fund the bonded indebtedness that the District incurred to finance the water and wastewater (sewer) infrastructure, streets, landscaping improvements, the recreational facility, trail systems and neighborhood parks to pay for their ongoing operation and maintenance of the District's facilities. You can find the property taxes you pay to the District by going to the El Paso County assessor's website.

Meridian Ranch is located in Falcon School District 49, providing education for K-12 students. For information on District 49, call 719.495.3601 or log on to their website, www.d49.org. Meridian Ranch Elementary serves Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade and is located on Rainbow Bridge Drive north of Londonderry Drive. Falcon Middle School serves 6th through 8th grade and is located west of Meridian Road at 9755 Towner Avenue in Falcon Hills. Falcon High School in Meridian Ranch is located off Eastonville Road, north of Londonderry Drive.
 

The monthly fees imposed by the District cover many services, including water, sewer, stormwater, street lighting, recreational facilities' maintenance, and fees for the maintenance of parks, open space, trails, parkways, and entry and neighborhood monument signs. See the fee schedule.

Yes, the Board of Directors of the District can vote to increase fees. It's important to know that the District's Board will only increase fees if necessary and they will be to cover cost increases or new services requested by the residents of the community.

Yes, all MSMD Board meetings are open to the public and are held at the Meridian Ranch recreation center the Wednesday that follows the first Tuesday of the month at 10:30am. See the meeting schedule for the latest updates.
 

Meridian Ranch residents must contract with a trash disposal company, as trash pickup is not a service that the District provides. Trash cans should be returned to the garage area after pick up.

MSMD does not provide gas, electric, telephone, and/or cable television services to the Meridian Ranch community. You can receive these services by contacting the following businesses:

• Gas: Black Hills Energy, 1-888-890-5554
• Electricity: Mountain View Electric, 1-800-388-9881 or 719-495-2283
• Telephone/Internet service: CenturyLink, 1-855-448-3682 during the hours of 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mon. - Fri.
• Cable TV/Internet Service: Xfinity, 1-800-266-2278

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office provides the Meridian Ranch police protection. In case of emergency, you should call 911 and you will be directed to them.

The Falcon Fire Department provides fire protection. You can find the location of fire stations at www.falconfirepd.org.

El Paso County is responsible for road maintenance and snow removal. Residents are responsible for removing snow from their driveways and all sidewalks adjacent to their homes. MSMD is responsible for maintenance of trails and removal of snow on the paved hiking and biking trails.

It is actually quite common to form two Districts when developing a large master-planned community like Meridian Ranch. In this case the two Districts are for financing and providing services to the community. By having two Districts, the property owners can be assured that the development, as it was master planned, can provide the levels of service desired throughout the community. In Meridian Ranch, the Meridian Service Metropolitan District is the "Service District." The Service District provides water, wastewater services, storm drainage, street lighting, parks and recreation services to the community. Meridian Ranch Metropolitan District is the "Financing District." It contains almost all of the property within the development and uses a limited property tax to pay for the infrastructure and amenities within the community.