Moves regular town elections from April to November in even-numbered years. The town’s resolution starts the change in 2028 and anticipates extending current trustees’ terms.
Town of Lake City
On the November 3, 2026 ballot
Kim's Recommendation
YES
Vote Yes on Town of Lake City Ballot Question 2A
Question 2A, with the ordinance the board anticipates adopting, moves the choice of Lake City's trustees to the November general election ballot that Hinsdale County already conducts, and the board anticipates an agreement under which the county runs the town's contest. The town clerk estimates that county-run election at $3,000 to $4,000, against around $10,000 for the April 2026 election the town conducted alone. Paying the county to run the town's race, rather than staging a separate election, is the spending restraint I look for in local government.
The board finds a substantial likelihood that more eligible voters take part when the town race shares the November ballot. Town government answers to the people who elect it, and I support a schedule likely to bring more Lake City voters to the election of their board.
I recommend a yes vote on Town of Lake City Ballot Question 2A.
Kim Monson
Host, The Kim Monson Show · President, Colorado Union of Taxpayers · Colorado Voter's Guide 2026
Certified ballot question
Shall the Town of Lake City's regular Municipal Election be moved from the first Tuesday in April of even-numbered years to the first Tuesday in November of even-numbered years when General Statewide Elections are held to promote increased voter participation, reduce Town election expenses, and allow the Town to participate in elections coordinated by Hinsdale County?
A yes vote means
Approves moving regular town elections to November in even-numbered years, with county coordination. The resolution calls for a 2028 start after an implementing ordinance.
A no vote means
Keeps regular town elections on the first Tuesday in April of even-numbered years.
The Town Race Joins the County Ballot01
Lake City holds its regular municipal election on the first Tuesday in April of even-numbered years. Question 2A would move it to November of even-numbered years, when statewide general elections are held, so that Hinsdale County conducts the town's contest as part of a coordinated election. No tax, fee or borrowing is part of the question.
Trustees voted unanimously on June 17, 2026 to refer Question 2A, according to the minutes of that meeting. Resolution 2026-08 lists the board's reasons: the move and county coordination would promote efficiency, create a substantial likelihood that more eligible voters take part in town elections, cut administrative work and reduce election costs.
When the Change Takes Effect02
A majority yes vote alone leaves the date unchanged. Under the resolution, the change takes effect when the board adopts an ordinance, and the November schedule begins with the town election of November 2028. The board anticipates signing an intergovernmental agreement with Hinsdale County before each town election, or following whatever other process the county requires, so that the county clerk runs the town's race.
The board also anticipates an ordinance extending sitting trustees' terms so that none is cut short. Under that plan, trustees elected on April 2, 2024, whose terms run to April 2028, would serve until November 2028, and trustees elected on April 7, 2026 would serve until November 2030 instead of April 2030. The town clerk puts the extension at about seven months.
What the Town Spends on Elections03
In a June 16 report to the board, the town clerk estimated that an election coordinated with the county clerk's office should cost $3,000 to $4,000, depending on the number of voters and the size of the ballot. The April 2026 election the town conducted alone cost around $10,000. The report says the change adds work for the Hinsdale County Clerk's Office, and the town clerk offers town staff to help during elections.
Town election costs
Election
Town cost
April 2026 town-run election
About $10,000
Future county-coordinated election
Estimated $3,000–$4,000
Lake City town clerk report, June 16, 2026. The future estimate depends on voter count and ballot size.
Which Tuesday in November04
The ballot text the county clerk supplied names the first Tuesday in November. Resolution 2026-08 names the Tuesday following the first Monday in November, the date state law offers a town that moves its election to November, and its version of the question names only the Tuesday in November when general statewide elections are held. Those date rules agree in 2028 and 2030 but can differ in later years: in 2044, the first Tuesday is November 1 and the Tuesday after the first Monday is November 8.
Board Size on the Same Ballot05
Question 2B, also on this ballot, reduces the board from six trustees to four beginning with the town's 2028 municipal election. If 2A passes and the ordinance follows, that election is the one held in November 2028.
Sources06
Official documents
Lake City ballot question supplied by the Hinsdale County Clerk and Recorder, September 3, 2026
Lake City Resolution 2026-08 and Board of Trustees minutes, June 17, 2026
Lake City town clerk report on coordinated elections, June 16, 2026
The Town of Lake City Board of Trustees minutes of June 17, 2026 record the board's unanimous roll-call approval of the measure referring to voters the question of moving the regular municipal election from April to November in even-numbered years at the November 2026 election.
The 2026 election is over. Requests for personalized guides closed on November 3, 2026. The full guide remains available to read.
