Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams is running for reelection this year, promising to continue advocating at the state level for more local control and to use his past experience as the county planning director to help manage growth.

“It’s about public service,” Williams said of his desire to run for a second term representing Teller County’s first district, which encompasses much of the southern portion of the county, including Cripple Creek and Victor.

First elected to the seat in 2020, the commissioner is on track to earn the Republican party nomination in the upcoming June 25 primary election and win his bid for a second term in the Nov. 5 general election. There are no Republican challengers, Democrats or third-party candidates facing him in the race.

Williams echoed sentiments recently made by his fellow commissioner Erik Stone, who is running on the Republican ticket this year for reelection to District 3, that Teller County leaders must preserve the area’s rural lifestyle.

He said Colorado lawmakers are trying to “fix problems” but often don’t consider the effect on rural counties when proposing or passing new laws.

“One size doesn’t fit all. We’re 64 unique counties,” Williams said of Colorado. “We realize that, inadvertently, the Denver metro area is causing a tyranny by majority. There’s been an erosion of local control. … We need to bridge the gap between urban and rural communities. Both parties must work together, plus work with cities and counties. That’s how you develop good solutions, because I think we’re all trying to serve people.”

The Board of Teller County Commissioners has not shied away from making its voice heard by state legislators or proposing new laws themselves, Williams said. He promised to continue doing so during a second term.

For example, Colorado voters last November rejected a proposition that would have reduced property tax rates and allowed the state to retain and spend money that otherwise would be refunded to taxpayers under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. The excess dollars would have backfilled some local governments and special districts and funded school districts.

When that bill failed, property owners faced 40% increases in their property tax bills coming due.

“One challenge we have in Teller County is the average person who lives here is 50 years old. Many live on fixed incomes, which is exactly that. … We needed to take a hard look at … real solutions,” Williams said.

He and fellow county commissioners Stone and Bob Campbell swiftly developed a stop gap, he said. They worked with Sen. Mark Baisley, whose district includes Teller County, to write a new law allowing local governments to provide property tax relief through temporary property tax credits or by temporarily reducing the tax rate applied to the assessed value of a property.

Under the new law, Williams and his fellow commissioners voted to credit about $2.8 million in property taxes back to property owners. 

Williams said he also plans to focus on building more attainable housing in Teller County, particularly in Divide. That area has been identified as ripe for growth. As Teller County’s former planning director, Williams wrote the county’s growth management and strategic plans that guide local development.

Divide has water supply, the county is making progress with expanding its wastewater treatment facility there, and three planned unit developments have been approved and are ready to be built.

“That’s what we intend to do. We are looking at medium-income buyers, so teachers and cops can afford to live here,” Williams said. “That’s how we approach growth. We designate places where there’s municipal water systems and then we do it deliberately — and smartly.”