HomeMy WebLinkAbout751121.tiff PRESENTATION OF THE HOME RULE CHARTER
TO THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
WELD COUNTY, COLORADO
Pursuant to law, the Home Rule Charter, for Weld County, Colorado, was
presented to the County Commissioners, by Charter Commission Chairman,
J. L. Johnson, on Wednesday, July 2, 1975, at 11:00 A.M.
Charter Commission members in attendance were:
William H. Southard
John L. Weigand
John Chuck Carlson
Charley Baumgartner
Edwin Lesh
Glen R. Anderson
George H. Brooks
J. L. Johnson
Philip G. Bowles
Harold Fahrenbruch
Donald E. Altergott
John T. Martin
Glenn K. Billings
Following is the speech given by Mr. J. L. "Bud" Johnson, upon presentation
of the Charter:
"Mr. Chairman, members of the Board of County Commissioners, and Honored
Guests:
Seven months, two weeks and one day ago, we stood in this meeting room with
you and were sworn in by Judge Carpenter, of the District Court, to perform a
specific duty, and that was to study Weld County government. We have made a
comprehensive study of that government which has endured for 100 years, plus;
and it has been a rather lengthy and involved process. As you know, we had an
extension to the original six month study by the State Legislature, which
enabled us to complete more adequately our study.
We have held 39 regular meetings and 14 public hearings - in all parts of
the county - and more than 35 subcommittee study meetings; where we have
interviewed various elected officials, employees and people in all facets of
county government. We have expended an unknown number of man hours in this
comprehensive study. I tried this morning to figure what it might involve
and there is no way of calculating. The hours, I might add, were at no cost
to the county. All of these elected people served without salary.
The study was comprehensive, it was intricate and it was thorough. You
might say we laid bare all the facets of county government. And as I come
before you this morning, I surely must know how the clothing salesman felt
when he suddenly found himself in a nudist convention. There's a need for his
product -- it's just rather difficult to pursuade his clientele to recognize that
need.
This Charter is not perfect but it's a start. It can be modified. It can
be changed. It can be improved by amendment and by ratification of the Weld
County citizens. Some people might say that we have placed restrictions on
government and it's true that we did. I say that it's time to place restrictions
to protect the rights of the individual and to protect him from his government.
This Charter was written more for Mr. Citizen than for Big Brother. This Charter
is an instrument for orderly and beneficial change as necessity dictates. It
contains some new concepts and it retains many proven methods from the old form
of government. I believe, personally, that it is a blend of the best of both.
Right now, our nation as a whole, lacks confidence in its government and I
think that it's time for a rebirth of faith in government. We can start right
here in Weld County.
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I have a letter addressed to the County Commissioners and I will read the
letter.
(Quote)
The Weld County Charter Commission hereby submits to the Weld County
Commissioners a proposed Charter for Home Rule for Weld County. The Charter
Commission, elected at the general election in 1974, held its first meeting
November 20, 1975.
Pursuant to the statute, the Charter Commission did conduct a comprehensive
study of the operation of Weld County government and of the ways in which the
Weld County government might be improved or reorganized. A proposed Charter has
been developed and public hearings held thereon as required by law.
A majority of the members of the Charter Commission have voted to forward said
Charter to the Weld County Board of Commissioners for the setting of a referendum
election not more than ninety (90) or less than forty-five (45) days from receipt
of the Charter as provided by C.R.S. 1973 30-11-505. (Unquote)
A majority of the members of the Charter Commission have voted to forward
the Charter, and that majority, Sir, is every member of the Charter Commission,
twenty-one of them.
I have a copy of the Charter for each of the County Commissioners. It's
for your study and of course, for setting of an election. I think it's interesting
to note that it was signed by everyone that was on the Charter Commission.
We have used the assistance of just about everybody in Weld County to help
us write this Charter. We were grateful to have had the help of the other
secretaries (Jeannie Ordway and Jeannie Heimbuck - Office of the Clerk to the
Board) through these past seven months plus.
Gentlemen of the Board, on behalf of the 21 elected members of the Weld
County Home Rule Charter Commission, I present you a document for the future of
all Weld County."
A tentative date for the election has been set for Tuesday, September 9, 1975.
Commissioner Roy Moser made a motion to officially accept the presentation
of the Charter to the Board of County Commissioners. Seconded by Mr. Jacobucci.
Motion carried unanimously.
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