In This Section
CML supports cooperation among local, state, and federal officials to provide a strong partnership with Colorado's cities and towns.
CML employs a dedicated advocacy team, a reliable source of information about legislative issues and their impact on Colorado's cities and towns and their residents.
Each year, at the CML Annual Business Meeting, municipal members adopt the policy statement that guides the CML Executive Board, Policy Committee, and advocacy team during the legislative session. View the 2026-2027 Policy Statement. You can also view last year's 2025-2026 Policy Statement.
Policy Committee 101
2025-2026 CML Policy Committee Calendar
Meetings are held from 9:00a.m. - Noon
October 2025: CML Policy Committee meets to consider member proposals and any items regarding potential legislation brought to the committee by staff. Actions take the form of recommendations to the CML Executive Board.
December 2025: Committee meets again to consider any carryover items from the previous meeting and any new items brought to the committee by staff, with final actions on recommendations made by the CML Executive Board. Members are asked to draft and submit any proposed changes to the CML Policy Statement to be considered by the committee at the next meeting.
January 2026: CML Policy Committee meets again to consider any carryover items from the previous meeting and any new items brought to the committee by staff, with final actions on recommendations made by the CML Executive Board.
February 2026: Legislative Workshop is held, where attendees receive additional information and training on issues coming up in the legislative session.
CML Policy Committee meets again to consider any carryover items from the previous meeting and any new items brought to the committee by staff, with final actions on recommendations made by the CML Executive Board.
March 2026: CML Policy Committee meets again to consider any carryover items from the previous meeting and any new items brought to the committee by staff, with final actions on recommendations made by the CML Executive Board.
June 2026: Full membership votes on any proposed changes to the CML Policy Statement at the CML Annual Business Meeting during the CML Annual Conference.
CML Process for Taking a Position on Legislation
The Colorado Municipal League (CML) advocates for municipalities statewide based on positions that are developed from the ground up and principles that have guided CML for over 100 years. Every legislative session the four CML legislative and policy advocates, in conjunction with CML’s in-house counsel and leadership, advises our membership-wide Policy Committee that recommends positions to the Executive Board that adopts an official position. This is an overview of that process and where and how CML members can provide their input in the process.
As noted above, by September of each year, each municipality should have identified a person who will serve on CML’s Policy Committee. The committee meets in a hybrid format from October through March. Meetings are approximately once per month on a Friday morning and are chaired by a person appointed by the Executive Board President. Participation in the Policy Committee is the most direct way for a municipality to influence the positions CML takes on legislation. For more information on the policy committee and how to get involved please review the policy committee one-pager.
Step one: introduction of legislation
The first step in the process is when legislation is introduced, or CML has received a draft version of legislation. The legislative and policy advocate that represents that issue reviews the bill or draft and notes any benefits to municipalities in the bill or concerns, like preemption, conflict with other laws, or fiscal impacts. CML’s in-house counsel reviews the advocate’s comments and the legislation to identify additional concerns and options. In some cases, the advocate will coordinate with specific municipal stakeholder groups to develop a broader understanding of the issues and others to learn about the bill’s probability of success.
Next: CML staff assessment
The policy advocate then writes a brief description of the bill’s intent and impact and any municipal impacts. Based on the collected comments and the CML Policy Statement, the lobbyist will suggest a policy position for the bill – either support, oppose or amend. A support position means that CML will actively work to pass the legislation, and an oppose position means that CML will work to defeat the bill. An amend position has more flexibility around it and includes a recommendation of potential changes that CML would need to obtain before supporting or becoming neutral on a bill. Even if CML supports or opposes a bill, the advocate may seek certain amendments to improve the outcome for municipalities. The Policy Committee and Board help prioritize what amendments CML will pursue.
Next: Policy Committee review
The collected bill descriptions and recommendations are sent to the Policy Committee a week before their next meeting. Policy Committee members are encouraged to share the information with their governing bodies and anyone in their municipality who has expertise on the issues to identify any local impacts of the legislation and their municipality's view of the bills. Policy Committee members are presumed to have authority to speak for their municipalities.
When the Policy Committee meets, the lobbyists present each bill to identify key concerns or benefits and explain their recommended position. The committee takes time to discuss each bill and add comments or additional concerns. The Policy Committee then votes on each bill to recommend a position to the Executive Board on behalf of the entire membership, often with specific recommended amendments.
Next: CML Executive Board review and vote
The Policy Committee’s recommendations are then presented to the CML Executive Board, typically a week later. The advocates again present each bill and explain the committee's recommendation. The Policy Committee chairperson will provide additional context and explanation. The Executive Board votes to formalize CML’s position on each bill. That usually is either accepting the Policy Committee’s recommendations or adopting a different position on a specific bill.
Final step: CML staff proceeds with lobbying
After the official position is determined, the lobbyists update the Secretary of State’s office with CML’s position on the legislation and start working to make that position a reality.