DougCo commissioners add competing ballot measure
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A resident speaks to Douglas County commissioners Monday. Photo: Robert Sanchez/Axios
Douglas County commissioners added another wrinkle to November's ballot Monday, giving voters yet another choice about the board's future.
Why it matters: Voters already face a big decision about the commission this fall.
How it works: The citizen-led "3-to-5" initiative asks voters whether to expand the board from three members to five.
- Voters also will choose how those commissioners' seats would be elected: all five by districts, or three within districts and two elected countywide.
- The five-member board would take office in January 2029.
Yes, but: Commissioners unanimously added their own yes-or-no question Monday, asking whether all five commissioners should be elected countywide.
- Douglas County currently elects its three commissioners that way, though each lives within a separate district.
Threat level: "There's going to be nothing but mass confusion because of this," former DougCo commissioner Lora Thomas, one of the initiative's leaders, tells Axios.
If the board expands and multiple election methods pass, commission chair George Teal tells Axios, the option with the highest raw vote total wins.
Zoom in: Critics say the commissioners' measure unnecessarily complicates the ballot and undermines a central goal of the 3-to-5 campaign — making commissioners directly accountable to voters within their districts.
- They argue electing all five countywide would preserve the current system.
- They also say the commissioners' measure is designed to muddy the issue for voters.
Friction point: Teal rejects claims commissioners are complicating the citizen initiative.
- "We are trying to preserve the full spectrum of the voters' options," he says.
Catch up quick: Commissioners last Friday added ballot language, saying two additional commissioners would cost an estimated $760,000–$1.3 million annually from county revenues that "support public safety, transportation and essential county services."
- 3-to-5 supporters say the wording suggests expansion would require cuts to public safety and other services.
- They also say the estimate assumes additional staff the initiative doesn't require. Without new hires, the county has estimated two additional commissioners would cost about $482,000 annually for salaries, benefits and operating expenses.
Critics noted last week that commissioners didn't include a similar cost estimate with their failed 2025 home-rule measure.
What's next: 3-to-5 backers filed a formal protest with the commissioners Monday asking them to remove the fiscal language.
- That means the same commissioners who approved the disputed language Friday will decide the challenge.
What we're hearing: A formal challenge to Monday's ballot addition is also likely.