The Montrose City Charter is a vital, legal document. Think of it as the city’s constitution, setting the framework for how everything works locally.
A review of the Montrose City Charter is welcome but why is the Mayor in a rush to have proposed amendments (8-10) on the ballot this November? Citizens of Montrose, Montrose City Councilors David Reed and Dave Frank have repeatedly asked Mayor Badagliacco “What’s the rush?"
On July 21st, despite the concern repeatedly voiced by members of the Montrose community about Mayor Badagliacco’s intent to rush making changes to the City Charter, and no response from the Mayor to: “What’s the rush?”, the Montrose City Council voted 3-2 to submit a request to the Montrose County Clerk to place proposed amendments to the Montrose City Charter on the ballot in November 2026.
Charter amendments play a crucial role in shaping the governance of local governments.
The process of proposing amendments to the Montrose City Charter can be enhanced through a citizen-led Charter Review Commission providing input to the City Council prior to placing the amendments on the ballot.
During the June 15 Montrose City Council work session, Delta Mayor Ron White spoke during public comments about the city of Delta’s recent experience with forming a citizen-led Charter Commission. To summarize, Mayor White stated that citizen input during the charter revision process enhanced the formulation of amendments that were placed on the city of Delta’s municipal ballot in April 2025.
Montrose City Councilors David Reed and Dave Frank have spoken in length during Montrose City Council meetings on the value of a citizen-led Charter Review Commission in providing input to the City Council prior to placing the amendments on the ballot.
An excerpt from a presentation by Montrose City Councilor Reed during the July 7th City Council meeting:
“When we discuss changes to our Charter, we are not making ordinary policy decisions. We are considering changes to the fundamental rules by which this community governs itself. Those decisions deserve not only legal analysis and policy discussion, but also meaningful public engagement.”
In contrast to opinions expressed by the public, Montrose Mayor Badagliacco has held a position that the city council should directly place amendments to the charter on the ballot without input from a citizen-led advisory committee.
On July 7th, the Montrose City Council voted 2-3 against forming a Charter Review Commission.
As a result of the recent 2-3 vote (to defeat the formation of the Charter Review Commission) and 3-2 vote (to request that the proposed amendments to the City Charter be placed on the November 2026 ballot), the Montrose City Council will be working with a rushed deadline and without a citizen-led Charter Review Commission to propose amendments to the City Charter.
A mayor who won his seat in the April 2026 municipal election by a margin of only 21 votes {when only 35% voted of eligible voters returned their ballots} is openly disregarding concerns by the Montrose community.
Montrose Mayor Badagliacco announced that ‘Special Meetings’ will be held to discuss the proposed amendments to the Montrose City Charter.
Find the Montrose City Charter Schedule in the blog menu.