Community Meeting Set for Feb. 11; Group Faces Spring Deadline
Rick Langenberg
Will the city of Cripple Creek cross home plate in their ambitious home-rule pursuit?
That’s the question facing community leaders and residents, as a nine-member charter committee now grapples with the task of compiling the first-ever city constitution for the gaming community.
Based on preliminary reports, the group has gotten a definite lead off first base and appears right on track in its effort to develop an actual city charter.
The big test, however, will come during the Nov. election, as residents will give the “yea” or “nay” regarding the proposed charter, a tally that will probably make or break the city’s home rule effort.
The group held its first community meeting regarding the forthcoming home rule charter on Jan. 14, and received many positive comments, according to Mayor Annie Durham. Another meeting is scheduled for February 11.
The charter committee meets the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at 4:30 p.m. in the council chambers. The February, special community meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m.
“It is really about public transparency,” said Durham, who wants citizens to have an ample opportunity to review the document, once it gets completed. The mayor also cautioned that the city charter is just a start, and the document can be amended or added onto, similar to what frequently occurs in Woodland Park.
So far, she and other community leaders are optimistic about the process. “We really see this as an opportunity. It is about local control,” said the mayor.
The fact that the home rule charter movement even got this far has surprised some government insiders. Past efforts, which started shortly after gaming occurred in Cripple Creek, got nixed or received the cold shoulder by business leaders and casino operators. But unlike past attempts, the city in 2025 held a variety of forums that often featured experts in the home rule arena. The council got on board, shortly after the education campaign began, and even lobbied individually for home rule.
During the Nov. 2025 election, residents gave overwhelming support for forming a charter committee, the first stage in the process, and elected eight proposed candidates for the committee. Another committee member was appointed, shortly after the Nov. election.
Durham believes that having this many citizens come forward to participate in the charter process played a key factor in the initial success of the pro-home rule campaign. The majority of these charter members were not involved in local politics. Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Brown, in fact, is the only charter committee member who serves on the council.
The results of the Nov. 2025 election definitely gave the prospects of home rule in Cripple Creek a big boost.
But the new committee didn’t have too much time to celebrate, as their real work started following the Nov. election.
The charter group has been examining home rule documents from other towns of a similar population and character. One community-charter favored by the group is that of Loveland, according to Brown. The mayor pro tem cited Loveland’s charter as a template the group has been studying closely, at the recommendation of the group’s attorney. Brown said the charter group also examined Black Hawk’s mini-constitution, especially regarding the subject of certain fees, but concluded that their city charter just didn’t work for Cripple Creek.
“I think it has been going very well,” said the mayor pro tem. “We are right on track.” According to Brown, the initial community meeting generated a good turnout and many key discussions.
If everything stays on course, the group should be able to present a proposed charter document by later this winter, or early spring setting the stage for extensive review by the citizens and the city council. The charter committee faces a May deadline, according to Brown.
Brown is optimistic about the chances of the voters approving the town’s first-ever city charter in the Nov. election. He estimates that the document should be between 30 and 35 pages in length and won’t be too cumbersome.
Similar sentiments are echoed by Councilman Jared Bowman, who played a big role in organizing a pro-home rule campaign during the 2025 election, under the theme of giving the town a chance in its bid to obtain more local control.
“I have heard really positive comments,” said Bowman, in commenting on the work of the current charter committee. Moreover, he said the initial process has not gotten bogged down by any real disputes.
Key Home Rule Issues
Some of the key issues deal with finding a way to combat the growing problem of having a slew of vacant, deteriorating buildings in the main commercial core, which often gives Cripple Creek a bad eye. The mayor estimates that the town currently has 10 to 13 vacant properties on the main drag, which are sitting idle and getting neglected. Many of these once served as former casinos during the town’s earlier gaming heyday. “We would like to see a way we could get some of these cleaned up and eventually sold,” said the mayor pro tem. He admits the sight of these vacant, deteriorating structures on the main street gives the city a bad appearance, especially for first-time visitors. But how the city can correct this problem, without violating private property rights, is the main hurdle the charter group faces.
Also, the town leaders are enthused about home rule due to the abundance of state laws approved every year.
“We are looking at something like 600 bills being proposed (this year at the state level). We would rather make our own decisions, then have someone in Denver tell us what to do,” said Durham. The bombardment of state laws, a number of which can impact communities in Teller negatively, became a main impetus behind the home rule effort. For years, Cripple Creek has been forced to abide 100 percent by state regulations, under its statutory setup.
Another issue that could get addressed with home rule is possibly changing the way gaming device fees are calculated. Instead of assessing casinos based on total betting devices, a fee structure could get established based on adjusted gross proceeds (AGP, representing casino monthly winnings).
But early reports indicate this change may not occur in the initial charter proposal as the financial impacts must get evaluated more. The mayor notes that such a change would have to benefit the gaming community and the city of Cripple Creek. If the city adopted this type of AGP setup, it could then find itself gambling on the success of the gaming industry.
For more information about the charter committee meetings, visit the city of Cripple Creek’s website.
