Lakewood Charter Amendment on When New Terms Begin
Government structureCharter amendment on when officials take office
Sets the start of a newly elected Lakewood mayor's or council member's term at the first regular meeting after certification of the regular municipal election results.
City of Lakewood
Kim's Recommendation
YES
Vote Yes on City of Lakewood ballot question 2H
Lakewood's charter names the first regular meeting after the election as the start of every new term, and in each election year that meeting arrives before the county certifies the count. The city has met the requirement by canceling the meeting and seating the winners at the second one. Question 2H writes the certified count into Section 2.6, so a term starts at the first regular meeting after it, and the charter states the practice the city already follows.
I support a charter whose words describe what the city does, not a timetable the city meets only by canceling a meeting. According to the council, the amendment moves no swearing-in date. It would allow the sitting mayor and councilmembers, who remain in office under Section 2.6(b) until their successors are sworn, to hold that first November meeting instead of canceling it.
I recommend a yes vote on City of Lakewood ballot question 2H.
Kim Monson
Host, The Kim Monson Show · President, Colorado Union of Taxpayers · Colorado Voter's Guide 2026
Certified ballot question
Establishing when the term of a newly elected Mayor and City Councilmember begins
Shall Section 2.6(a) of the Lakewood Home Rule Charter regarding terms of office of the Mayor and City Councilmembers be amended to specify that the term of a newly elected Mayor or City Councilmember begins at the first regular meeting following certification of the results of the regular municipal election?
A yes vote means
Approves amending Section 2.6(a) so a new term begins at the first regular meeting following certification of the election results.
A no vote means
Keeps the charter's current language on when a newly elected mayor or council member takes office.
When a New Term Begins01
Section 2.6(a) of the Lakewood Home Rule Charter reads: "The terms of office of the Mayor and of each member of the City Council shall commence at the first regular meeting following the regular municipal election." Question 2H adds "certification of the results of" to that sentence and strikes nothing, so a new term commences at the first regular meeting after certification.
The rest of Section 2.6 stands: four-year terms, the limit of two consecutive terms, and the rule that the mayor and each councilmember "continue in office until a successor has been elected and sworn." Lakewood holds its regular municipal elections on the first Tuesday in November of each odd-numbered year, according to the City Clerk's Office.
The Canceled November Meeting02
In Ordinance O-2026-25, the City Council states that the county does not certify official results until ten to fourteen days after the election, so the first regular meeting always comes before certification. The ordinance says the city has historically canceled that meeting to give the county canvass board time to certify, and has reserved the second November meeting for seating the newly elected mayor and councilmembers. By the council's account, the cancellation keeps it from conducting regular city business for up to 30 days after the election.
The ordinance states that the amendment will not change the date on which newly elected officials have historically taken the oath of office: the second regular November meeting, which routinely follows certification. It says the amendment would allow the council to hold, rather than cancel, its first regular November meeting.
Referred Without Dissent03
On March 23, 2026, the council formed an ad hoc committee of its members to review the charter, which voters last amended in 2004. After the committee proposed the change in a report the council discussed on June 15, the council adopted O-2026-25 by 11 to 0 on August 10. At the same meeting it referred Questions 2I and 2J, which amend Sections 12.12, 13.1 and 13.2, and rejected, 0 to 11, a fourth charter amendment on filling council vacancies. Neither 2I nor 2J alters Section 2.6.
Timing of the Change04
A yes vote puts the new wording in force on January 1, 2027, before the next regular municipal election in November 2027. A no vote keeps Section 2.6(a) unchanged.
Sources05
Official documents
Official ballot certification: City of Lakewood ballot question 2H — filed 9-2-26
City of Lakewood ordinance stating that Charter Section 2.6 currently mandates terms begin at the first regular meeting following the regular municipal election.
