Press Release

Friday, Oct. 3, 2025
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Colorado Municipal League releases fall 2025 municipal election preview 

Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, DENVER, COLO. – On Nov. 4, voters in at least 65 cities and towns across Colorado will consider local candidates and/or ballot measures in municipal elections. Of these elections, nine are special elections. More than 100 municipal ballot issues and questions will be considered across the state. At least four municipalities canceled their regular elections due to a lack of competitive races and ballot measures. 

Ballot measures being considered by voters include: 

Tax issues 

Sales and use tax increases will be considered in: 

• Fort Morgan – for an aquatics center 
• Mead – to fund law enforcement services and facilities  
• Merino – for the health, safety, and welfare of residents 
• Pagosa Springs – to construct, operate, and maintain sewage and wastewater facilities 
• Pueblo – for the general fund 
• Sterling – to fund street and sidewalk infrastructure  
• Walsenburg – to offset law enforcement costs and expenses 
• Westminster – to fund emergency services personnel, a new fire station, emergency vehicles and equipment, and street improvement and maintenance 
  

Sales and use tax extensions will be on the ballot in: 

• Boulder – to extend the community, culture, resilience, and safety (CCRS) tax in perpetuity for building and maintaining capital improvement projects 
• Cañon City – to extend a street infrastructure tax through 2036  
• Florence – ten-year extension for construction and maintenance of streets and other rights of way 
• Fort Collins – ten-year extension to fund certain capital projects, and a separate citizen-initiated question to indefinitely extend the Open Space Sales and Use Tax with modifications to the original ordinance  
• Fort Lupton – 20-year extension for the town’s water acquisition and improvement fund to include related infrastructure 
• Pueblo – five-year extension of an economic development tax for primary jobs and capital improvement projects 
• Trinidad – indefinite extension of a public works tax for construction, maintenance, and improvements 
  

New lodging and short-term rental taxes will be considered in: 

• Mountain View – a lodging tax for any lawful municipal purpose 
• Severance – a lodging tax to fund public safety, infrastructure, and public parks and trails 
• Vail – a short-term rental tax to fund housing initiatives 
  

Lodging tax increases will be on the ballot in: 

• Rifle – to fund visitor improvements, historic preservation, special events, and beautification  
  

Property tax mill levy increases are on the ballot in: 

• Durango – to fund fire protection and emergency services provided by the Durango Fire Protection District, but such increase will only be imposed if fire district voters approve the same level of mill levy increase  
• Gunnison – for a new fire station and to fund emergency response operations 
• Rico – to fund street reconstruction and maintenance and a separate question to reallocate mills currently levied for sewer funding to streets funding 
  

Other tax and fee issues include: 

• Cañon City – authorizing an excise tax on amusement, recreational excursions, and attractions to support operation of a community pool 
• Louisville – a citizen-initiated ordinance to increase the categories of capital facilities for which impact fees are imposed, require a new impact fee study every five years, and require the formation of an Impact Fee Liaison Committee 
• Manitou Springs – increasing an excise tax on ticket sales and admissions fees 
• Rico – increasing the allocation of sales tax revenue for street construction and maintenance from the general operating fund from 10% to 20% 
• Telluride – authorizing an excise tax on ski lift tickets for maintaining and improving the gondola and authorizing the town to pledge the revenue to a regional transportation authority for such purpose 
• Winter Park – removing code references to a use tax that does not exist 
  

Revenue retention and debt 

Winter Park will ask voters to allow the town to retain excess revenues above its TABOR limit. 

The following municipalities will seek authorization to increase municipal debt: 

• Boulder – for capital improvement projects and non-profit projects, paid by the CCRS tax extension, if approved 
• Denver – refers five bond questions to consider debt increases to fund infrastructure and facilities related to housing and shelter; health and human services; parks and recreation; transportation and mobility; and various art, cultural, library, and other city facilities 
• Lafayette – to fund the rec center, construct a new civic center, and improve the parks and public works service center 
• Telluride – to fund affordable housing, to be repaid by existing taxes previously approved by voters to fund affordable housing projects 
• Yuma – to fund a municipal pool, to be repaid by a temporary sales and use tax increase 
  

Election changes 

• Fort Collins – a referred charter amendment that would make changes to align with previous voter approval for ranked choice voting, establish that registered electors must notify the city clerk before challenging the qualifications of any member of council, and increase the number of days to collect signatures for an initiative petition 
  

Governance 

• Cripple Creek – a referred question to elect a home rule charter commission 
• Pueblo – a referred question to amend the charter and change the form of government from council-mayor to council-manager thereby eliminating the office of the mayor and related offices 
• Telluride – a referred charter amendment to implement meeting attendance standards for councilmembers and the mayor 
  

Publication requirements 

• Fort Collins – a referred charter amendment to modernize the process for adoption of ordinances, resolutions, and motions, including publication requirements such as addressing late publication and allowing publication online rather than a local newspaper 
• Idaho Springs – a referred charter amendment that would allow the city to publish information on paid bills and contracts on the city’s website instead of in a newspaper 
  

Marijuana and tobacco

• Craig – voters will decide whether to increase sales tax on retail marijuana to fund the Moffat County Library and the Museum of Northwest Colorado. 
• Denver – a referendum that would retain an ordinance prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products. 
• Silt – voters will decide whether to increase sales tax on nicotine and tobacco products to fund parkland acquisition, parks maintenance, and community health, wellness, and recreation programs 
  

Other charter amendments 

Various charter amendments will appear on the ballot in home rule municipalities across the state: 

• Arvada – removing residency requirements for municipal judges 
• Aurora – five charter amendments updating charter language to replace gender-specific language with gender-neutral terms; to establish a procedure for filling vacant council seats; to eliminate residency requirements for the city manager; to eliminate the prohibition on officials holding multiple elective offices; and to distinguish ward-specific and at-large council members as separate offices for the purpose of term limits 
• Broomfield – six charter amendments that update language to reflect status as a city and county; prohibit elected officials from holding two elected offices; clarify vacancy procedures; require city council to adopt a code of ethics; establish that emergency ordinances take effect immediately after passage; and establish standards for approval of intergovernmental agreements  
• Dacono – four charter amendments that would allow the city manager to call special city council meetings; establish a vacancy immediately upon the mayor or a councilmember’s conviction for a disqualifying crime; restrict council compensation from changing during an elected official’s term; and  clarify that mayor and councilmember are separate offices for the purpose of term limits as well as that terms are consecutive unless at least four years apart.  
• Denver – two charter amendments to change the method of electing at-large council members to separate at-large races requiring a majority of votes and to rename the Department of Excise and Licensing to the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection 
• Englewood – a citizen-initiated charter amendment to require a plurality of votes for elected offices.  
• Fort Collins – four additional charter amendments to update and modernize charter language and eliminate transitional provisions;  align the charter with state and federal laws regarding campaign finance and employee contributions to campaigns, allow executive sessions for any matter authorized by open meetings laws, and for records requirements to coordinate with open records laws; to allow the city to purchase real or personal property from councilmembers and to rent property to city employees when related to their job; and to establish how term limits apply to partial terms and update process for filling vacancies on city council.  
• Littleton – a citizen-initiated charter amendment that limits land uses in certain residential zoning districts to uses permitted as of January 1, 2025, and requires notification of land use changes to affected property owners by first-class mail  
• Montrose – update charter language by removing gender-specific language, removing definition redundancies, clarifying terms and term limits, requiring public notice of meetings on the city’s website, clarifying the number of council members required for executive sessions, removing editor’s notes, updating recall requirements, updating franchise and public utilities to adhere to state and federal laws, removing residency requirements for municipal judges, clarifying the city attorney section, having oaths of office specific to titles, and allowing the city clerk additional time to certify signatures on petitions for referendum and initiatives  
• Parker – five charter amendments to add a new basis for a vacancy and update the process for filling vacancies; clarify that both mayor and council must comply with the charter’s conflict of interest provisions; prohibit elected officials from holding multiple offices at a time; eliminate the board of adjustment and appeals; repeal a provision that requires an ordinance to approve intergovernmental agreements, and allow approval of agreements to be done by resolution.  
• Pueblo – three charter amendments to replace the current system of sending labor disputes to a public vote with binding arbitration; to allow municipal officer salary increases to take effect immediately; and to municipal employees to run for public office without taking a leave of absence.  
• Sterling – amending the process for adoption of an ordinance to allow publication by any reasonable notice prior to the final passage of an ordinance  
• Telluride – a citizen-initiated charter amendment to require voter approval for certain future large-scale town developments, for any prior approved project where construction has not commenced, and for certain extensions of municipal water to property outside town annexed boundaries  
• Thornton – four charter amendments to clarify that a partial term in office of less than two years does not constitute a term for purposes of term limits; to clarify vacancy rules for the mayor’s office and the timing of selecting a new mayor; to increase the time period to collect signatures for initiative and referendum petitions; and to modernize charter language to eliminate obsolete and superfluous language and correct grammar, clarify anti-nepotism provisions and authority regarding intergovernmental agreements and permits, and conform to changes in the law   
• Yuma – changing authority and supervision of the police chief and police department to the city manager from city council  
  

The following home rule municipalities are asking voters to consider charter amendments that would authorize both the clerk and treasurer’s positions to be appointed rather than elected:  

• Idaho Springs 
• Walsenburg 
• Wheat Ridge 
  

Land use and traffic restrictions 

• Central City – updating the land development code to permit a sexually-oriented businesses in the historic downtown gaming zone district 
• Fort Collins – two competing questions about the future use of the Hughes Stadium site, one referred by city council affirming the use and management plans developed through a “Civic Assembly” process and a citizen-initiated question to require the site be used entirely as a city natural area 
• Louisville – a citizen-initiated ordinance prohibiting residential rezoning of specified sites and establishing exceptions for housing that meets affordability thresholds  
• Salida – advising the city council whether to restrict vehicular traffic on a portion of F Street from May through September for 2026, 2027, and 2028 
  

Not all ballots were available at the time of publication. Any ballot questions not included in this press release will be included in the post-election summary. CML thanks the municipal clerks who assisted CML staff in compiling this election information. 

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Colorado Municipal League (CML) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established in 1923 and represents the interests of 271 cities and towns. For more information on the Colorado Municipal League, please visit cml.org, call 303-831-6411 or stay connected on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Media Contacts:

• Kevin Bommer, executive director, kbommer@cml.org
• Maeve McHugh, municipal research analyst, mmchugh@cml.org