City of La Junta - The Smile Hi City

The City of La Junta is a Home Rule City. In Colorado, municipal home rule is based upon the theory that the citizens of a municipality should have the right to decide how their local problems should be solved. The powers of home rule are limited by their charters, federal laws, the state constitution, court decisions and legislation enacted by the General Assembly. The primary goal of La Junta ’s Home Rule Charter is to allow city government to operate more efficiently, to be successful in solving problems and to always act in the best interests of the city and its residents. La Junta has a council-manager form of government: an elective Council enacts legislation, adopts budgets, determines policies and appoints the City Manager, who executes the laws and administers city government.

On November 7, 1967, the citizens of La Junta voted to adopt Home Rule, and in January of the following year, in a special election, selected the members of the Charter Convention. This was done in accordance with Article XX of the Constitution of the State of Colorado.

The delegates were charged with the responsibility of establishing a Charter for the government of the city. In so doing, the delegates realized that they could not present a document which would stand forever, and so provided within the Charter the means for amending it by popular election when the needs arise.

The Charter provides for a council-manager form of city government. The Council is comprised of seven members, to be elected two from each of three wards of the City and one from the City at large. The Charter makes provision for overlapping terms, with a majority of the Council elected every two years.

The Charter provides for the retention of the Board of Public Utilities Commissioners, composed of three members elected by the voters and two members to be appointed by the City Council.

The City Council will have all policy making and legislative power in the City. It will appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, Municipal Judge, and members of advisory boards and commissions.

The direct democratic techniques of initiative and referendum and recall have been included in the Charter. Such provisions provide the means by which the people can, if necessary, directly control the policies of their city government at all times, enact or reject legislation as they see fit, and remove any elected official who fails to perform his duties.

Citizens may review the Charter at the Office of the City Clerk, in the Municipal Building at 601 Colorado Avenue, or at the Woodruff Memorial Library, at 522 Colorado Avenue. 

In its various chapters, the Charter provides for Elections, establishing Municipal Powers, defining the City Council and Council Procedure, the authority of the City Manager, the jurisdiction and structure of the Legal and Judicial offices of the City, Budget Control and Financing, Municipal Borrowing, Boards and Commissions, and Utilities and Franchises.

The Municipal Code is also online.

The Councilman-at-Large serves as the Mayor of the City. A mayor pro tem, who, in the absence of the Mayor, assumes all duties and responsibilities of the Mayor, is elected from within the Council at the first meeting after taking office, and serves at the pleasure of the Council.

The Mayor has all of the rights, privileges, and powers of a Council member, and votes in the same manner as the other Council members. The Mayor is recognized as the head of the City Government for all ceremonial purposes, by the courts for civil process, and by the government for purposes of military law....the Mayor is the conservator of the peace, and in emergencies may exercise within the City the powers conferred by the Governor of the State of Colorado for purposes of military law, and shall have the authority to command the assistance of all able-bodied citizens to aid in the enforcement of the ordinances of the City and to suppress riot and disorder.

The Council meets on the first and third Monday of each month at an hour to be fixed from time to time by the rules and procedures of each Council (currently, 7:30 PM in the Council Chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building). Council meetings are open to the public, and ample seating is provided. Handicap access is provided by ADA-compliant elevator.

Minutes of the meetings of the more important executive boards and commissions are posted here.

Return to City of La Junta Government Main Page