Wheat Ridge council backs staff to advance 2026 legislative agenda after committee vetting

Wheat Ridge staff on Jan. 5 presented a formal Legislative Advocacy Program and sought council consensus to bring a 2026 legislative agenda back for adoption.

Senior Management Analyst Cola Hayslip described the program — formed in late 2024 — as a four-part effort consisting of a high-level legislative agenda, a legislative committee to screen bills, advocacy-position resolutions, and targeted staff lobbying. Hayslip said the committee’s job is to review the roughly 50 to 100 bills introduced each session that could affect Wheat Ridge and identify three to five priority bills for focused advocacy.

Hayslip named the committee’s membership and roles, saying the committee is chaired by councilor Rachel Holteyn, with Councilor Larson as vice chair and Councilor Okada as a member. She explained staff may begin targeted lobbying when the committee advances a position because the legislative process can move quickly. "A bill can be introduced on a Monday... the committee might be able to take a look at it on a Tuesday," Hayslip said, and staff may need to act before a formal resolution reaches the full council.

The presentation reviewed 2025 outcomes — such as SB25001 (Colorado Voting Rights Act) and other bills the city supported or opposed — described off-season outreach to boards and commissions, and listed updates to the 2026 agenda including expanded home-rule governance language, a public-safety initiative (work with CML on interstate-related policy), clarified support for competitive broadband markets, opposition to state actions that increase administrative burdens on local businesses, and a new special-district/utilities section. Hayslip said the committee will meet biweekly beginning Jan. 13 and continue through the legislative session, which ends in May.

Councilors asked for clarifications (including packet formatting and the special-district 90-day turnaround rules) and expressed support for the committee’s threshold criteria and tiered engagement approach. Councilor Holteyn said the committee was authorized to take positions when it votes, with resolutions later presented to the full council for public record and clarity. After discussion, the council gave unanimous consensus for staff to bring the 2026 legislative agenda back for adoption at a future meeting.

Staff will return with a finalized, formatted agenda and resolutions as items for council action.