The Roadmap to Home Rule

Thanks for the question! No - Districts have not been created yet - the Proposed Charter instructs the Town Council to create a District Commission that will create the boundaries and the Districts would be required to have a similar population and have contiguous boundaries. These sort of Commissions are common throughout Colorado municipalities and there are best practices that group could reference to ensure a fair and equitable process.

Thank you for your question. No - the Home Rule Charter does not have any influence over the makeup of Town departments - including the Police Department. The organization of the Town government is managed currently by the Town Administrator, and if the Home Rule Charter is approved by voters in November, it would be managed by the Town Manager (same person... new title).

The Town Manager is hired at the pleasure of the Town Council and can make organizational decisions about how the Town is run. In theory, this person could decide to eliminate a Police Department at any time (it wouldn't matter if we were under Statutory Rule or Home Rule). But that decision would most likely not be tolerated by a Board or Council. Also, there are some State requirements around disaster preparedness and other safety topics that are mandatory for any municipality to cover - whether by a Police Department or otherwise. So some sort of public safety presence would be necessary - again, no matter if we remain under Statutory Rule or Home Rule. 

You can review the role of the Town Manager in the Proposed Charter here. 

Thanks for the question! As far as we are aware, becoming Home Rule can only happen at the municipality or county level (Weld County is a Home Rule county for example). So we assume El Paso would have to go to the ballot to ask residents to approve a measure to create a Home Rule Charter in order for unincorporated residents there to have that sort of governance. 

But you may want to reach out to someone at the Colorado Municipal League who may know the intricacies of the law surrounding Home Rule a bit better.

What ends up in a draft Charter is completely up to the elected Charter Commission (so long as what is drafted is not in conflict with any state or federal laws). That group of residents will discuss what they want to be included in the Charter and will then draft it and put it out for a vote by the entire community. It could indeed give direction for how elections are handled in the Town - including when they are held (stick in April or move to November), or how long term limits are for elected officials, etc. 

The Charter CANNOT influence what is taught in public schools. The Town does not have jurisdiction over school districts or curriculum - whether or not the Town is under a Home Rule Charter or remains Statutory. Matters relating to public schools are managed within school boards and at the state or federal level - not within local governments. 

Thanks for the question! The answer, unfortunately, isn't a straightforward answer. Any advantages or disadvantages are fully dependent on how a Charter is drafted and approved. The resident-led Charter Commission would draft the Charter how they want to address things like taxes or land use (or any number of other things) in the Town. We won't know the impact of their draft Charter until they are able to draft it (assuming the voters approve forming a Charter Commission on Nov. 8, 2022).

If the Charter Commission is created and they draft a Charter - that draft will also be put to the voters to either approve or deny. At that point, we would be better able to share the affects of proposed Charter items.

Thanks for the question! The Roadmap is not fully fledged out in the stages when the Charter Commission is formed (assuming the voters on Nov. 8, 2022 approve creating the Commission) because it will be up to that Commission to determine their own process. This is a fully resident-led drafting and creation of a Charter and they will have the ability to determine how they engage the wider community and what their process entails. All we know at this point is that there will be engagement, and we have to wait for the residents on the Commission to determine all the rest of the details. 

More than 90% Coloradoans live in a home rule municipality. The Town of Erie is the largest Statutory Town in the State based on population. 

The Board of Trustees directed staff to conduct education, outreach, and research with the residents to see if there is an appetite to put a Home Rule question on the 2022 Ballot. So we are currently talking with the community to see if there is support to add a Home Rule question to the ballot in November. 

The Board of Trustees will review survey results and public comment in the summer and determine whether to add the question to the November Ballot. At this point we are truly just providing information about what Home Rule is and asking the residents to weigh in with their thoughts.

To be clear, the Town staff and the Board or Trustees cannot and will not be involved in the creation of a Town Charter if Home Rule moves forward. The Charter will be drafted by an elected body of community members and then voted on by all registered Erie voters. So this is really a question for a future, theoretical Charter Commission. This topic is just and example of something they can consider when drafting the Charter. The Charter Commission will have access to Charters from other communities and can use resources like legal experts to determine what topics make sense for Erie to consider in a draft Charter.

To be clear, the Town staff and the Board or Trustees cannot and will not be involved in the creation of a Town Charter if Home Rule moves forward. The Charter will be drafted by an elected body of community members and then voted on by all registered Erie voters. So this is really a question for a future, theoretical Charter Commission. 

But a Charter Commission could write a Charter that: 

• In Home Rule municipalities, the Charter could provide for the clerk’s deputies and assistants to be under the general authority of the manager or the clerk.
• Home Rule Charters adopt all, or parts, of the Municipal Election Code by reference, frequently permitting it to be superseded by ordinance or other Charter provisions.
• A local government could choose to have appointed judges or adopt the council-manager system with an appointed manager rather than an elected mayor.

• The Charter could be written to have district boundaries, but that would fully be decided by the Charter Commission and up to them to determine numbers of districts, boundaries of districts, etc. 

**Nothing about the election process or current voting districts (there are none - all are voted at large) would change unless the Charter Commission writes it into a draft Charter. If they don't mention it, then elections remain status quo.

To be clear, the Town staff and the Board or Trustees cannot and will not be involved in the creation of a Town Charter if Home Rule moves forward. The Charter will be drafted by an elected body of community members and then voted on by all registered Erie voters. So this is really a question for a future, theoretical Charter Commission. 

But a Charter Commission could write a Charter that would: 

• Give the Town would have greater flexibility, clarity, and effectiveness in adopting regulations related to:
  • Speed limits and traffic regulations
  • Road closures
  • Oversized weight and size of vehicles
  •  Parking regulations and signs
  • Code enforcement for parking violations

Yes - the Town can certainly influence and change many things with regard to these this category right now as a Statutory government, but it is typically a much longer and more arduous process than if the procedures were written directly into the Town's Charter.