100 Years of Meaningful Membership
This is the final story in a series celebrating the Colorado Municipal League’s dedication to serving Colorado’s municipalities over the last century.
One hundred years ago, municipal officials gathered at Macky Auditorium in Boulder, Colorado to discuss municipal issues of critical importance and establish an entity that would support and champion municipal government at all levels. The Colorado Municipal League was officially created on the final day of the meeting.
The League was established to advocate for municipalities at the state level, gather and share resources and information of municipal interest, and facilitate collaboration among Colorado’s many cities and towns. One thread tied each of these goals together—a belief in Colorado’s municipal governments.
The League is built on principles set forth by its members. Every legislative battle it pursues, event it hosts, and publication it creates is determined by its members and their needs. Without the cities and towns that have become members of the League over the last hundred years, the Colorado Municipal League would not be the resource it is today, and the voice of local government would likely not be as strong.
To ensure the voice of local government remains unified in Colorado and that cities and towns across the state continue to collaborate, the League looks for ways to ensure each member has the opportunity to take part in forming its path. With every change, decision, and question, the League looks to its members to guide its path forward.
Fostering Collaboration with District Meetings
Before creating a path forward, one must plan the route. This is precisely what district meetings are intended to do. As a place where cities and towns gather and discuss challenges in their regions, these meetings help the League better understand what its members need. These meetings help drive the League’s policy and training decisions and give municipal colleagues the chance to get together and discuss new ideas and learn from each other.
The League has held district meetings annually since the 1990’s but previously held them in both the spring and fall. The meetings are hosted in the League’s 14 districts across the state and consist of discussions about regional challenges, policy updates, and other information each district might need.
The League started district meetings in 1952 with 11 districts. In 1973, the districts were reorganized into 12. The League’s Executive Board hoped the reorganization would improve member involvement. The districts have remained nearly the same since the change in 1973, expanding only once more to include 14 districts, mirroring the state-established planning districts.
Initially, and for several years thereafter, districts operated as regional policy forums. The CML Bylaws required the election of a district president, vice president, and secretary/treasurer, and formal positions were discussed and relayed to the CML Executive Board. Over the years, the district meetings evolved, shifting from formal policy-making meetings to gatherings focused on networking and information sharing. In 2016, the Bylaws were amended to eliminate the formal positions and replace them with a “district chair.”
Each year, League staff members look forward to touring the state and reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. These meetings are largely driven by members’ needs and help the League better understand how it can serve its members and their diverse interests across the state.
From hitting the Chile Festival in Pueblo to hearing from honored guest “Abe Lincoln” to seafood boils, each district brings its own unique ideas to its meeting and offers a new way for cities and towns to connect with each other.
After nearly 50 years, district meetings are changing again. Starting in 2024, district meetings will take place twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. This is intended to make meetings more accessible to members and encourage more participation. While each meeting is hosted in a different district, members are invited to attend any meeting they’d like. The more collaboration, the better.
District meetings are just one example of how the League’s work is directed by the diverse municipalities that it’s composed of. Its members are the reason CML so often hits the road, makes policy decisions, and highlights good governance.
Taking Action with Policy Committee
Once you’ve planned your route, you can begin to carve your path. CML members do this through Policy Committee, informing policy decisions at the legislature and helping guide the League’s advocacy efforts.
One of the League’s many functions is to serve as a legislative advocate on behalf of local governments at the state level. Every policy decision the League makes is informed by the Annual Policy Statement. This statement has evolved over the course of the League’s history, reflecting the changing needs of its members. You can view the 2023-2024 Policy Statement here.
The Policy Committee is responsible for reviewing the League’s Policy Statement each year and suggesting updates and edits. Proposed changes go to the entire membership for approval, which happens at the League’s Annual Business Meeting. This Policy Statement process plays an immensely important role in the League’s policy decisions for that year and is completely member-driven.
It wasn’t until the 2000s that the Policy Committee’s role expanded beyond the Policy Statement and the committee began filtering legislative issues. When this happened, the Policy Committee began working with the CML legislative advocacy team to understand upcoming legislation and its consequences, then make recommendations to the Executive Board. For many years, these recommendations only included supporting, opposing, or monitoring legislation.
Often, cities and towns from different parts of the state must weigh the benefits and consequences of legislative action or inaction. This is an exercise in collaboration and ensures local government’s voice remains a strong and unified one. In 2007, yet another change came to the Policy Committee: The League began accepting proposals for CML-initiated legislation. This type of legislation gave members the opportunity to not only support or oppose what was happening at the state level but also create change for themselves.
Kevin Bommer, now CML Executive Director, directed the first bill to ever go through the CML-initiated legislation process. In 2007, the Clerks Section requested that the League initiate legislation to increase application fees for local liquor licenses. This fee had not been changed for several years and needed updating because municipalities were not able to cover the costs of processing new applications and renewals.
CML successfully ushered legislation that phased fee increases in over three years through the statehouse and to the governor’s desk in 2007. The Colorado Municipal Clerks Association recognized the League with a Special Merit Award for shepherding this important legislation (pictured left from the CML Newsletter, Dec. 7, 2007).
The Policy Committee is a testament to the League’s commitment to its members and local government’s commitment to continued growth and innovation at the policy level. Ensuring this committee remains completely member-driven is essential to the integrity of the League.
Driving Good Governance
What would a journey be without purpose? The League’s legislative actions and meetings are always grounded in a purpose: to encourage and further good governance among municipal officials in Colorado.
Without its founding members’ commitment to good governance, the League may never have existed. It was only because each municipality was invested in learning from its peers and creating common best practices that this membership organization began.
In keeping with that foundational pillar, the League continues to invest in its members and support good governance. While this investment might be important, it’s truly the good governance of municipal officials across the state that maintains local government’s integrity and continued success.
Kevin Bommer often visits new boards and councils to instill members’ shared value of good governance. When he visits, he spends time talking with newly elected officials about their roles and responsibilities and the appropriate conduct for meetings and policy decisions. In many instances, the League’s trusted partner, the Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency, or CIRSA, joins these discussions to take a deep dive into liability issues.
These visits help ensure good governance has a common definition throughout the state. While Kevin attends the meetings as the League’s Executive Director, his role extends to include the voice of cities and towns across the state.
Beyond training, the League recognizes good governance through the Sam Mamet Good Governance Award. The award, established in 2019 in honor of retired CML Executive Director Sam Mamet, honors municipal officials who exemplify and seek to expand the application of principles of good governance.
Good governance can mean many things. In this case, someone who exemplifies good governance may excel in the following areas:
- Efficiency and Effective Government
- Responsiveness to Need
- Openness and Transparency
- Respect for the Rule of Law
- Accountability to Self and Others
- Inclusivity
- Ethical Behavior and Conduct
- Innovation
- Representation of All Constituencies
- Fiscal Accountability
The League’s support of and investment in good governance are reflected in each of its pillars and all its actions. While the League may be invested in this important principle, it does not govern. The League’s members are the ones who bring meaning to the words “good governance.”
Evolving with Our Members
The League will continue to evolve as we welcome new members and support our existing ones. However, our firm belief in local government and member-driven initiatives will remain the same.
As we look toward another 100 years, we will welcome our newest member in 2024, the Town of Keystone, and appreciate those who came together in 1923 to create the Colorado Municipal League: Arvada, Boulder, Brush!, Cañon City, Fort Morgan, Grand Junction, Haxtun, Loveland, Pueblo, Trinidad, and Windsor. Whether you were incorporated in 1883 or 2023, your membership in the League is welcome, and your voice will be heard.
The League will continue to look to its members to steer the ship and drive innovation and good governance in the state that we all call home. As we close this anniversary publication, the League would like to extend its gratitude to its members for 100 years of collaboration and growth. The League would not be what it is without its 270 members; and more importantly, our great state and our communities would not be what they are without each and every one of you. To our members, thank you for your continued support and commitment to good governance. The League is grateful for its first 100 years and cannot wait to celebrate 100 more with you.
Kevin Bommer, Executive Director
