Home Rule Community Briefing
The recording is being prepared and will be posted here when it is ready. In the meantime, the full presentation deck is available above.
For many months, residents had been hearing about home rule incorporation in Niwot. What the community had not yet had was a straightforward conversation about what it actually is, how it works, and what it could mean for Niwot.
This briefing was that conversation.
It was an educational meeting, not a debate. Residents came supportive, skeptical, and simply curious — and brought their questions.
Program
- Welcome — Nicholas Little, President, Niwot Incorporation Committee
- Introduction to Home Rule — Jim Parys, Team Lead for Home Rule
- Historical Context — Biff Warren, President, Niwot Cultural Arts Association
- Meaning of Home Rule and Municipal Charter — Kevin Bommer, Executive Director, Colorado Municipal League
- Charter Commissioner Process — Lois Adamson, Chair, Election Commission
- Role of Boulder County — Scott Firle, Chair, Local Improvement District
- Conclusion — Heidi Storz, Board Member and Former Chair, Local Improvement District
- Q&A
Guest Speaker
The committee was honored to be joined by Kevin Bommer, Executive Director of the Colorado Municipal League — the statewide association of Colorado’s 271 cities and towns. Kevin has spent his career helping Colorado communities understand what municipal governance looks like in practice, and he walked the room through what home rule means and how a charter is drafted.
Where things stand
On May 21, 2026, the Boulder County District Court determined that the incorporation petition satisfies all requirements of Colorado law and ordered that the question be placed on the November 3, 2026 ballot. On that date, Niwot voters will decide whether to incorporate and, if approved, who will serve as the nine charter commissioners responsible for drafting a proposed home rule charter.
A home rule charter is the document that defines how a municipality governs itself. It establishes the structure of local government, its powers, and the rules under which it operates. Understanding that process was the purpose of this briefing.
Keep going
- Governance & your seat at the table — why the structural question sits underneath every other issue.
- Run for the Charter Commission — how to put your name on the November 3 ballot.
- Updates & notices — committee notices, meeting materials, and press coverage.
- niwotelection.org — the Election Commission’s own site: meeting notices and the ballot questions.
- Ask a question — the committee answers publicly.