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Thornton council affirms home‑rule authority, backs municipalities suing over state housing and parking bills
Summary
The Thornton City Council unanimously adopted a resolution supporting home‑rule municipalities suing the state over HB24‑1304 and HB24‑1313 and opposing an executive order that would deprioritize grants to noncompliant cities.
The Thornton City Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution expressing support for home‑rule authority over land use and zoning and backing several Colorado municipalities that have sued the state challenging recent housing and parking laws.
The resolution says the City of Thornton "affirms its longstanding support of the powers granted by the Constitution of the State of Colorado, which includes Home Rule authority over zoning and land use planning," and explicitly supports the plaintiffs seeking injunctive relief against HB24‑1304 (minimum parking requirements), HB24‑1313 (housing and transit‑oriented communities) and Executive Order D2025005.
Council member Sandgren introduced the resolution and stressed the council’s view that local officials are best positioned to judge land‑use impacts on their communities. "Taking away parking requirements from our city just creates more parking problems and more problems along the roadway. So, very happy to support this," Council member Sandgren said during discussion.
Mayor Coleman said the city would prefer a cooperative approach with the state while protecting local authority. "I think this is something that we would really like to work with the state legislative branch on — being partners instead of having preemption," Coleman said, and asked that an approved copy of the resolution be sent to the Metro Mayors Caucus, the governor and legislative leaders.
The resolution cites the City of Thornton’s 1967 home‑rule charter and says home‑rule municipalities bear responsibilities including ensuring adequate water and utilities, public safety, schools and transportation infrastructure when evaluating land‑use proposals.
The council also noted recent state actions: passage of HB24‑1304 and HB24‑1313 and Gov. Polis’s Executive Order D2025005, issued May 16, 2025, which the resolution says would deprioritize competitive funding for municipalities that do not comply with those laws. The council’s resolution explicitly supports the six home‑rule municipalities that filed a lawsuit against the State of Colorado, the governor and the Department of Local Affairs seeking declarations that the bills and the executive order violate the state constitution and asking for injunctions against enforcement.
At the meeting’s public‑comment period, Colorado State Representative Jackie Phillips addressed the council and voiced support for the resolution. "As a state legislator, I'm hugely supportive of that," Phillips said, noting her background as a former city council member and offering to work with Thornton staff and elected officials on the issue.
The council moved approval, the clerk called the roll and the resolution passed unanimously. The council directed staff to provide an approved copy to regional officials and state leaders.
