Woodland Park council reactivates Charter Review Committee, names members and sets one-year timeline

The Woodland Park City Council on Jan. 2 reactivated the city's Charter Review Committee and appointed three citizen members to join two council liaisons on the panel.

Councilmember Carol Harvey presented background on the charter and on the need to begin work roughly a year before the next general election, saying the charter "should not be easily amended" and noting that municipal home-rule authority (referred to in the meeting as Article 20 of the state constitution) is the basis for the document.

The council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 929 (Series 2025), which reactivates the advisory Charter Review Committee originally established in 2000 and directs the city to advertise for and appoint two to four citizen members in addition to two council members, the city clerk, the city manager and the city attorney. Suzanne Leclair, city clerk, summarized the resolution for the record and said the resolution requires committee members to be at least 18 years old, residents of Woodland Park for at least one year and to serve without compensation. Leclair added the resolution specifies the city will provide clerical and legal support and that the committee will be deactivated one year after adoption of the resolution unless the council acts otherwise.

Council then selected two council members to serve as the appointed council liaisons. During the selection process, councilmember Carol Harvey received five votes and Mayor Pro Tem Catherine Nakai received four votes in the recorded count announced to the council. Suzanne Leclair said the council will finalize scheduling with the appointed members and staff liaisons.

The council appointed three citizen members to the Charter Review Committee by roll call: Denise Fisher (unanimous), Roy Casada (motion carried 5–2) and John Davis (unanimous). Leclair and councilmembers said the committee is expected to begin with a couple of meetings reviewing the charter section-by-section, that legal counsel should attend committee meetings, and that the last meetings should be open to the public. Harvey urged the committee to avoid focusing on transient "hot-button" changes and instead consider whether recommended language will endure "for 10 or 20 years." Harvey cited past charter amendments — including a 2016 review that added special-election options after a tie vote in council — as reasons to approach revisions carefully.

The clerk's summary said the intent is to complete committee work in time to place any charter amendments on the April 2026 general election ballot; the resolution itself, as read on the record, deactivates the committee after one year unless council extends it. The council directed staff to continue accepting applications for additional citizen appointments while the initial appointees begin work.

The council made clear the committee will be supported by city legal counsel at every meeting and advised the committee not to draft ordinance language on its own; each recommended ballot issue will require a single ordinance to place it on the ballot, and staff emphasized the value of attorney review to avoid drafting errors that could invalidate a proposed amendment.

The council's action came after a 20-minute history and procedural overview from Harvey about the charter's origin (1975), prior amendments (including adoption of residency and qualification requirements and the city's section 9.17 limiting use of city funds for private developers), and lessons from prior review committees.

The council's vote adopting Resolution No. 929 was recorded as unanimous. The three citizen appointments produced two unanimous votes and one 5–2 vote as noted above.

Looking ahead, staff said they will provide sample charters and past committee materials to the committee and work with committee leadership on scheduling. The council directed staff to ensure legal counsel and a recording secretary are available for committee meetings and recommended evening meeting times to accommodate public attendance.

The reactivation sets the procedural framework for any future charter amendments, but no specific charter-language changes were proposed or adopted at the Jan. 2 meeting.