Gov. Polis, Mayor Johnston headline CML Board meeting

At its regular meeting Oct. 24, the CML Executive Board was honored to have Gov. Jared Polis attend and engage in a high-level conversation with Board members on a number of subjects.

Polis outlined his assessment of the state of many current issues, and he spent some time talking about challenges the state is facing in the upcoming year, as expenses outpace revenue. The structural imbalance of the state budget has already had impacts on municipalities, which the governor acknowledged, and Board members requested the governor refrain from supporting additional transfers of local government severance tax revenue and Proposition 123 program dollars to the state budget.

Gov. Polis highlighted his alignment with CML in defense of local authority over municipal courts and confirmed his stance had not changed. Board members thanked him for his strong stance in support of local control and home rule authority. While the League and the administration differ on some issues, the ability to sit down face-to-face highlighted that municipal interests and administration priorities are likely more aligned than not.

Following discussion of the reports of CML’s Budget, Audit and Management (BAM) Committee and the CML Policy Committee, the Board welcomed another special guest — Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. He was invited to the meeting to talk with the Board about the budget challenges Denver is facing, how the city is addressing them, and highlighting Denver’s 103-year membership in CML.

In December, the CML Board will meet again to finalize CML’s legislative agenda going into 2026 and approve the League’s annual budget.