Palmer Lake's Mayor and Board of Trustees are responding to community concerns about the process of deciding whether to annex land for a proposed Buc-ee's development.Palmer Lake community voices concerns regarding the proposed Buc-ee's locationOn December 12, the board voted the land southwest of I-25 and County Line Road is eligible for annexation. WATCH: Palmer Lake Board clears hurdle for Buc-ees annexation amid community concernsThe board hasn't yet decided whether to move forward with annexation. The town released the following statement on Friday: "The Boards fundamental interest was to conduct a safe, open, and non-intimidating hearing, in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations. Since the purpose of the hearing was to determine whether the property is eligible to be annexed to the Town of Palmer Lake, the Board wanted to be sure it heard from those who live in Palmer Lake or own property or have a business in Palmer Lake, while at the same time giving all members of the public an opportunity to comment. To achieve those goals, in advance of the meeting: - The Town conferred with the local fire official regarding the occupancy capacity of the Town Hall and arrangement of the seating to ensure the safety of everyone. - The Town conferred with local police and staff regarding how best to facilitate the anticipated large crowd to the Towns limited facilities. - Town staff distributed information on its website and to anyone who asked about the procedures that would be followed to ensure safety and participation. - The public was also encouraged to provide written comments on the issue of eligibility. Numerous public comments were received in advance of the eligibility hearing and all of them were provided to the Board of Trustees. At the time of the eligibility hearing, the Town complied with the fire safety occupancy limits of the Town Hall (80+ chairs to be seated), live stream access of the proceedings, and broadcast the proceedings over audio speakers to those outside Town Hall. The Board listened to every individual who attended the hearing and indicated their desire to speak. No one was prevented from speaking on the issue of eligibility. As a result of the process followed in considering whether the property is eligible to be annexed, the Town believes it provided a full and fair hearing and is not aware of any violations of open meeting or other laws or regulations. A number of comments have been received by the Town after the December 12th eligibility hearing and those have been shared with the applicant, including a reference to a complaint possibly being filed with the Colorado Attorney General. The Town has not received a copy of any such complaint, but the Board of Trustees met with the town attorney in executive session on January 9 to follow up on these issues and to ensure continued compliance with the applicable laws and rules."The town also released a statement regarding the process of considering whether to annex the property. That statement is below: "As previously explained on numerous occasions, the Towns determination that the property is eligible to be annexed is only the first step in the process of determining whether annexation is in the best interest of the Town of Palmer Lake. The Board intends to proceed in a prudent and fully informed manner, in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and undertaking some investigations that go beyond what is required by statute. As part of its diligence, the Town has contracted to obtain three independent studies; one to analyze the fiscal impacts of the proposed annexation and development, another to consider the ability of the Towns water rights and water system to support such a development and the public improvements that might be required, and another to analyze the anticipated traffic impacts of the proposed development and roadway improvements that would be needed. As the Town Board has indicated on numerous occasions, it has not and will not decide whether to annex the property and, if so, on what conditions, until it has received and carefully reviewed the studies (which are anticipated to be received in February), as well as comments from the people of the Town of Palmer Lake and other members of the public and whatever other diligence the Board believes is in the best interest of the Town and its citizens. The process will also include negotiating an agreement with the developer setting forth the rights and obligations of the Town, and the developer, if the annexation is deemed to be beneficial to the Town. Finally, the process will include obtaining a clear understanding of what the proposed Buc-ees development would look like, before any annexation is agreed to. The Board believes this process will protect the public it was elected to serve and further the interests of the Town of Palmer Lake."_______Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.