Town's position sent to Governor Polis in a letter. 

In a special meeting called on Tuesday, November 24, the Castle Rock City Council passed a resolution, four to one, to officially oppose the "Level Red" designation for Douglas County. As part of that resolution, Castle Rock will not use resources to enforce Level Red restrictions on businesses and restaurants. The resolution was influenced by several concerns, according to the city council, including restaurant in-person dining closing while other retail businesses were allowed looser restrictions, as well as the lack of consultation prior to the Level Red declaration. 

The city sent an official letter from Mayor Jason Gray stating its position to Governor Polis. The letter and resolution are largely symbolic, as Castle Rock currently doesn't enforce the health department orders, instead, leaving that to the state.

However, the city wanted to make its stance official; many local business owners spoke of their struggles due to shut-downs at the meeting. The resolution comes on the heels of action by the Tri-County Health Department that shut down several restaurants in Douglas County, including some in Castle Rock, for in-person dining violations. 

“We would like to make it clear that we continue to stand beside our local businesses. We oppose our county’s apparent unequal treatment and move to Level Red. We reiterate our request that you help our community’s local restaurants by allowing indoor dining in Douglas County to reopen at some viable percentage, as outdoor-only service is simply impractical this time of year,” said Castle Rock City Council's letter. 

Despite the resolution that the city won't enforce current restrictions, Castle Rock businesses that do not comply could still face consequences on the state level.

You can read a draft of the letter on the Town of Castle Rock website. 

What do you think about Castle Rock's resolution? Let us know in the comments.