City council discusses several proposed ballot initiatives, including charter changes on employee candidacy, court oversight and government form

Pueblo City Council discussed a package of possible ballot initiatives at its June 9 meeting and directed staff to draft language and schedule work sessions on several items, council members said.

Councilor Ellis raised a proposed charter change to remove a clause that requires any employee of the classified service who runs for office to take a leave of absence and, if elected, to cease city employment. Ellis said the change would allow city employees to run for office without resigning; City Attorney Harley Gifford was asked to draft “mimic” language for council review.

Council members also debated whether municipal court oversight belongs under the executive branch. Councilor Boston proposed examining a charter amendment to transfer hiring and firing authority for the municipal judge from the mayor to the city council to strengthen separation between executive and judicial functions. Several council members asked for a work session to study the historical background and possible impacts; Chief Judge Nelson and city legal staff were mentioned as participants who could explain current operations.

Other proposals discussed included: a charter measure to revert the city from a strong-mayor form of government back to a city-manager form (proposed by a council member who said voters previously chose mayoral government); a proposal to change the timing of council pay increases so that any approved raise applies to all council members equally rather than only to newly elected members; a suggestion to add enforceable repercussions for councilmembers who violate their oath of office; and a proposal to reconsider authorization for gambling or casino operations near the Riverwalk.

City Clerk Stoller and City Attorney Gifford answered procedural questions. Gifford noted the ballot deadline and the scheduling constraints; staff said the filing deadline for charter-style measures was September 5. Council members agreed to set work sessions and to have the sponsoring council members bring proposed language or specifics for Gifford to draft. No ballot language or charter amendment was adopted at the meeting.