(1) A charter commission elected pursuant to section 30-11-503 shall meet on a date designated by the board of county commissioners for the purposes of organization within thirty days after the election. The charter commission shall elect a chairman and a vice-chairman from among its membership. Further meetings of the commission shall be held upon call of the chairman or a majority of the members of the commission. All meetings shall be open to the public. A majority of the charter commission shall constitute a quorum. The commission may adopt such other rules for its operations and proceedings as it deems necessary or desirable. Members of the commission shall receive no compensation but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses pursuant to law.
The charter commission shall conduct a comprehensive study of the operation ofcounty government and of the ways in which the conduct of county government might be improved or reorganized. Within two hundred forty days after its initial meeting, the charter commission shall present to the board of county commissioners a proposed charter, upon which it shall have held three public hearings at intervals of not less than fifteen nor more than thirty days, and notice of these public hearings shall be published not less than fifteen days prior to each public hearing in a newspaper of general circulation within the county. Within ten days of the last of such public hearings, the charter commission shall incorporate any amendments it deems desirable. A majority vote of the members of the charter commission in favor of a proposed charter for the county shall be required to forward said charter to the board of county commissioners for the setting of a referendum election as provided in section 30-11-505.
In the event that the charter commission fails to present a charter to the board ofcounty commissioners after the specified time, the charter commission shall recess for a period of not less than thirty days nor more than ninety days. The board of county commissioners shall then call the charter commission to begin a second attempt to present a charter which shall be presented within a period of ninety days. In the event a second attempt to present a charter to the board of county commissioners also fails, the charter commission shall be excused from its duties and dissolved by the board. All records, files, and proceedings of the charter commission shall be submitted to the board of county commissioners for storage and safekeeping as a public record. A new charter commission shall be elected on dissolution as provided in section 30-11502.
The board of county commissioners is authorized to establish a special county charter fund and establish a mill levy therefor when the charter commission has submitted a preliminary budget approved by the board of county commissioners. The expenses of the charter commission shall be verified by a majority vote of the commission and shall be submitted to the board of county commissioners for approval, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. If approved, payment shall be made from the special county charter fund. The charter commission may employ a staff, may consult and retain experts, and may purchase, lease, or otherwise provide for such supplies, materials, equipment, and facilities as it deems necessary or desirable. The board of county commissioners may accept funds, grants, gifts, and services for the charter commission from the state of Colorado, the government of the United States or any of its agencies, or other sources, public or private.
Source: L. 71: p. 350, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 36-28-4. L. 75: Entire section amended, p. 993, § 1, effective June 4.