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HomeMy WebLinkAbout26-09 Accepting Submission of Recall Petitions calling for a Town Special Election 01-21-2026RESOLUTION NO. 26-09 A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF FIRESTONE, COLORADO, ACCEPTING SUBMISSION OF RECALL PETITIONS, CALLING FOR A TOWN SPECIAL ELECTION ON APRIL 21, 2026 TO CONSIDER THE RECALL OF TWO CURRENT BOARD OF TRUSTEE MEMBERS; AND SUBMITTING BALLOT QUESTIONS PERTAINING THERETO WHEREAS, the Town of Firestone ("Town"), is a municipal corporation duly organized and operating as a statutory municipality under the Constitution and laws of the State of Colorado; and WHEREAS, on November 20, 2025, recall petitions seeking the recall of four (4) current Trustees, Frank Jimenez, Sean Doherty, Lorna Morton and Ray Byrd, and the Mayor, Don Conyac Jr., were submitted; and WHEREAS, on December 1, 2025, the Town Clerk issued initial written determinations that four (4) of the petitions seeking the recall of four (4) current Trustees, Frank Jimenez, Sean Doherty, Loma Morton and Ray Byrd were sufficient, while the petition seeking the recall of Mayor, Don Conyac Jr., was insufficient; and WHEREAS, on December 5, 2025, the Town received protests related to the Town Clerk's initial determination of sufficiency for the four (4) recall petitions; and WHEREAS, on December 18, 2025, the Town held an administrative hearing on protests to the recall of Trustees Sean Doherty, Frank Jimenez, Lorna Morton, and Raymond Byrd. The hearing officer was Karen Goldman, appointed by the Town Board of Trustees ("Board"); and WHEREAS, based on the protests and the testimony and evidence presented at the protest hearing held on December 18, 2025, the hearing officer issued a written, final determination that the recall petitions for Trustees Morton and Byrd were sufficient as previously determined by the Town Clerk, while the recall petitions for Trustees Doherty and Jimenez were insufficient; and WHEREAS, the Town Clerk has submitted to the Town Board two (2) petitions seeking the recall of two (2) Trustees, Lorna Morton and Raymond Byrd, and certificates of sufficiency of each such petition; and WHEREAS, pursuant to C.R.S., § 31-4-503(4)), the Town Board must order and fix a date for the recall elections required by the submission of both petitions to be held not less than thirty nor more than ninety days from the date of their submission to the Town Board by the Town Clerk; and WHEREAS, C.R.S. §31-4-504(1) provides that an officer subject to recall may resign at any time prior to the recall election and, in such case, "all recall proceedings shall be terminated, and the vacancy caused by such resignation shall be filled as provided by law;" and WHEREAS, C.R.S. §31-4-504(3)(a) also provides that "[i]f such officer resigns at any time subsequent to the calling, of the recall election, the recall election shall be held, notwithstanding such resignation"; and WHEREAS, the Town Board interprets C.R.S., §§ 31-4-504(1) and 31-4-504(3)(a), working in tandem with one another, to mean that should both Trustees Morton and Byrd resign, the Town Board will fill their vacant seats by election (as opposed to appointment) and will use the recall election date set forth in this Resolution to serve as the date of the special election to fill the vacancies. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF FIRESTONE, COLORADO: Section 1. The Town Board hereby accepts the Town Clerk's Certificates of Sufficiency, dated December 1, 2025, certifying the sufficiency of the recall petitions seeking the recall of Trustees Lorna Mortan and Raymond Byrd. Section 2. Election Call. Pursuant to C.R.S. §31-4-503(4), the Town Board calls for a special election to be held on April 21, 2026, for the purposes set forth in this Resolution. The April 21, 2026 Town special election shall be conducted as a mail ballot election in accordance with all applicable provisions of the Colorado Municipal Election Code, C.R.S. §§ 31-10-101 et seq. Section 3. Questions Submitted. In accordance with C.R.S., §31-4-504(3)(b) the Board of Trustees hereby submits the following ballot questions to the eligible electors of the Town: Question 1. SHALL LORNA MORTON BE RECALLED FROM THE OFFICE OF TRUSTEE OF THE TOWN OF FIRESTONE BOARD OF TRUSTEES? YES NO. Question 2. SHALL RAYMOND BYRD BE RECALLED FROM THE OFFICE OF TRUSTEE OF THE TOWN OF FIRESTONE BOARD OF TRUSTEES? YES NO Question 3. CANDIDATES FOR THE POSITION OF TRUSTEE TO SUCCEED THE CURRENT OFFICEHOLDERS SHOULD ONE OR BOTH BE RECALLED OR BECAUSE ONE OR BOTH RESIGNED PRIOR TO THE ELECTION WHO IF ELECTED SHALL SERVE UNTIL THE REMAINDER OF THEIR RESPECTIVE TERMS (NOVEMBER 2028) -- Vote for NOT MORE THAN TWO: ❑ [Replacement Candidate] ❑ [Replacement Candidate] ❑ [Replacement Candidate] Section 4. Ballot Title Fixed. This Resolution shall serve to set the content for each ballot question set forth herein and the ballot title for each such question shall be the text of the question itself. Section 5. Designated Election Official. The Town Clerk or such person's designee shall act as the Designated Election Offical ("Election Official") for purposes of the election and the Election Official is directed to take all necessary steps to effectuate the provisions of this Resolution, including without limitation, all compliance actions to place the ballot question and ballot title before the registered electors within the Town. Section 6. Designation of Precinct. There shall be one (1) precinct for this mail ballot election, the boundaries of which are identical to the boundaries of the Town. The Town designates the Firestone Town Hall, 9950 Park Avenue, Firestone CO 80504, as the mail ballot location for the precinct. Section 7. The Town Board of Trustees delegates to the Town Clerk or such person's designee the authority and responsibility to appoint judges of election for the April 21, 2026 election, and to assure (a) the issuance of appropriate certificates of appointment by the Clerk, (b) filing by such appointees of a form of acceptance of such appointment within seven days of the mailing of the certificate of appointment, and (c) the taking of an oath or affirmation by such election judges before votes are counted in the form required by C.R.S. Section 31-10-407. Section 8. Pursuant to C.R.S. Section 31-10-408, each election judge shall receive for their service the amount of ten dollars ($10) for each hour of service Section 9. Conduct of Election. The Designated Election Official is authorized to correct typographical errors and omissions. The Designated Election Official and Town Attorney are hereby authorized and directed to take all necessary and appropriate action to effectuate the provisions of this Resolution including all reasonable and necessary action to cause such approved ballot issues to be printed and placed on the ballot for the election Section 10. Actions by Town Officers and Employees. Any and all actions previously taken by the Election Official or any other Town officer or employee in furtherance of the directions and authorizations of this Resolution are hereby ratified and confirmed. PASSED AND AD thisolldayoddh,2026. i.Q'ifA/w .S. V, " r ATTEST: Oa Missy Carranco, Deputy Town Clerk APPRO TO FORM: M eith M , own Attorney