Council sets recall election date for Ward 1, rejects motion to accept conditional resignation

Loveland City Council on Dec. 3 complied with state recall statutes and ordered a recall election for Councilor Troy Krenning’s Ward 1 seat, setting a staff‑recommended date to accommodate ballot‑mailing deadlines.

The council adopted resolution R‑117‑2024 — "ordering and fixing the date of a recall election" — by an 8‑0 vote. City Attorney Vincent Jungles explained that state law requires the governing body to set a recall date no fewer than 30 and no more than 90 days after petition submission; staff proposed March 4 (the packet shows March 4 as an outside date selected to meet U.S. overseas ballot timelines). The city clerk advised that petitions and candidate paperwork would be available immediately and that a filing deadline to become a candidate would fall in early January (staff noted Jan. 6 as the internal deadline for candidate materials to be with the clerk to allow printing and mailing timelines).

Separately, the council considered a resolution (R‑118‑2024) to accept Krenning’s previously tendered intent to resign effective May 8. Krenning’s correspondence to the city included a contingency clause: he would withdraw the resignation if the recall committee did not proceed. Councilors debated whether accepting a conditional resignation would deprive petition signers of their election and whether the city would be exposed to legal risk. An amendment to accept an immediate resignation failed for lack of a second; the clerk’s proposed conditional acceptance of a May 8 resignation with contingencies failed on an evenly split vote (4‑4).

Public comment at length reflected deep division. Recall proponents — including members of the recall committee who said they collected more than 2,100 signatures — urged the council to let voters decide and argued they would not withdraw the petition unless Krenning resigned immediately. Others asked the council to accept Krenning’s intent to resign and save the city the cost of a special election. The city attorney noted the recall committee may withdraw their petition up to 30 days before the scheduled election (staff identified Feb. 3 as the practical withdrawal deadline in the packet).

Next steps: the clerk will make candidate/petition materials available. If the recall committee does not withdraw the petition by the withdrawal deadline, the election will proceed on the date set by council. If a vacancy occurs within 180 days of a regular municipal election, the council may appoint an interim member or await the regular November ballot, depending on charter timing.