Town Council to hold proposed charter amendment worksession June 12
The Mountain Village Town Council will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, June 12 for a worksession to discuss proposed charter amendments with the community.
In March, Town Council considered a first reading of an ordinance to set a special election this summer, proposing the following five charter amendments:
- Allowing property owners holding property in LLCs or other entities the ability to vote like other non-resident property owners
- Moving the regular election from the last Tuesday in June to the last Tuesday in July
- Clarifying the effective dates of ordinances
- Allowing publication of ordinances via the Town website rather than by newspaper
- Reconciling a conflict between the Town Code and the Charter regarding DRB terms
In a 5-2 vote (with Mayor Marti Prohaska and Tucker Magid dissenting), Council approved the first reading of the ordinance setting the special election. The motion also included amending ballot question 1 to exclude commercial-use properties from the list of eligible voters and to prohibit corporations that own residential properties from voting as non-residents.
The second reading was scheduled for the April 25 Town Council Meeting. However, in April, Council voted to table the second reading of the ordinance and instead, scheduled this special worksession to further discuss the potential charter amendments with the community and to answer any questions they may have.
“Council scheduled this worksession in early June after typical work hours so as many of our community members can attend and participate as possible,” said Town Manager Paul Wisor. “It’s important that the Council hears from our residents and non-residents about these potential charter amendments. One amendment proposal emanates the desire of certain community members to participate in Town elections which they are currently precluded from doing due to the current Town charter.”
Mountain Village is one of just a few communities in the United States that allows non-resident homeowners to vote in municipal elections. However, the current charter outlines that the property title must be held in a natural name and not in the name of a trust, LLC, partnership, corporation, etc.
"As potentially one of the first municipalities in the United States to allow LLCs and trusts the right to vote, we want to ensure we answer residents' questions and discuss all the issues so our community is as informed as possible,” Prohaska said of the special worksession. “It's critical our constituents engage in the conversation as we enter these uncharted waters."
To learn more about the proposed charter amendments, please view the packet material for the first reading in March. Packet material for the June 12 special meeting will be posted to the Town’s website by the end of the week. Public comment may be sent to or shared at the worksession in person or via Zoom.
The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. at Mountain Village Town Hall with in-person and virtual Zoom options. The Zoom link is available through the meeting material posted on the Town’s website.
