CML was organized in Boulder on April 28, 1923, at the close of a three-day conference of municipal officials at the University of Colorado. Thirty-five delegates representing 15 municipalities attended the conference.

The League was formed as an agency for the cooperation of Colorado cities and towns in improving municipal government; to secure the enactment of legislation beneficial to cities and towns and oppose legislation injurious thereto; and to hold conferences at which city and town officials might exchange views and experiences.

Topics on the first annual conference program were: City planning and zoning, the city manager movement, municipal accounting, business methods in government, capital profit in street railway investment, the relation of municipal administration to the public health and leagues of municipalities.

The League’s constitution in its first year provided for annual dues for each city or town, based on population, ranging from $5 for towns under 1,000 population to $40 for cities of over 50,000 population. It also provided for annual dues of $2 for any commercial or civic club, library, other organization or individual.

Membership was initially made up of 15 municipalities; this has built up to the 270 cities and towns that the League represents today.

In April 1925, the League published volume 1, number 1 of friend of the court in the case pending between Englewood and Denver. One issue concerned the jurisdiction of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission over municipally owned water systems. In 1951, the Court upheld the contention of CML that the Public Utilities Commission has no jurisdiction over municipally owned water service.

A marked increase in interest in home rule and charter modernization took place during 1957.

Janet Roberts, Boulder councilmember, was the first woman to serve on CML’s Executive Board in 1964.

In 1971, nearly 1,000 people attended the League’s 49th annual conference held in Colorado Springs. At the largest luncheon in League history, 655 people listened as consumer crusader Ralph Nader chided private industry for not doing more to fight pollution.

In March 1974, the CML Executive Board named Kenneth G. Bueche as Executive Director. He replaced Curtis Blyth, who had resigned earlier in the year. Ken previously served as general counsel for the League since December 1968.

In 1991, CML launched MUNIversity, our elected officials’ training certificate program. 

In 2005, CML’s longtime Executive Director Ken Bueche retired from the League and the CML building was renamed the “Kenneth G. Bueche Municipal League Building” in honor of his 30+ years of service.

In 2005, Sam Mamet, who had been with the League since 1979, was named Executive Director by the Executive Board.

In 2019, Kevin Bommer, who has been with the League since 1999, was named Executive Director by the Executive Board.