Longmont council sends open-space voter-approval amendment to Nov. 3 ballot
The 6-1 vote refers a Home Rule Charter amendment to voters, while the final ballot layout and implementation details remain pending.
The Longmont City Council voted 6-1 Aug. 11 to refer a Home Rule Charter amendment requiring voter approval for certain sales or conveyances of city-owned park and open-space land to the Nov. 3, 2026, special municipal election. Councilmember Diane Crist opposed the measure; no abstentions were recorded. The council meeting record shows the public hearing and vote on Ordinance 2026-48.
The proposed amendment would revise Section 13.2 of the charter to require approval by a majority of qualified electors voting on the question before the city sells or conveys land it owns and uses for parks or open space, as well as water rights. The ordinance also proposes placing the question alongside ranked-choice voting and council-election-staggering measures, though the final certified ballot layout and question order were not available in the supplied record.
The proposed yes-or-no question includes exceptions for rights-of-way and easements for public roads, utilities and life-essential infrastructure; activities needed to operate open-space properties; and transactions involving structures, dwellings or outbuildings on the land. How those exceptions would apply to future transactions would depend on the adopted charter language and subsequent implementation.
If voters approve the amendment, the ordinance says a certified copy must be filed with the Longmont city clerk and Colorado secretary of state within 20 days. The amendment would take effect upon filing. Proposed follow-up changes to the open-space disposition process and conservation-easement requirements have not been adopted as part of the referral, the council packet says.
Council materials describe the election as a coordinated, mail-ballot election involving Boulder and Weld counties. Under the election agreements presented to the council, Longmont would set the order of its questions and provide certified ballot content to the applicable county clerk at least 60 days before the election. The county clerks would prepare ballot layouts, print and mail ballots, and count votes. The Boulder County agreement specifies ballot mailing between Oct. 5 and Oct. 9.
The city estimated it would cost $17,000 to $19,000 to produce and mail factual information about arguments for and against the proposal. The final cost would depend on the number of ballot questions, pages and mail pieces. The supplied record does not establish whether the election-administration resolutions were ultimately adopted, or provide final translations or procedures for interpreting the exceptions.
The proposal followed a unanimous April 7 council direction and unanimous June 8 support from the Longmont Parks and Recreation Advisory Board for a broader three-part open-space package. The board’s package also included changes to the open-space disposition ordinance and conservation-easement requirements; that related work remains pending.