Ballots have gone out to residents of Palmer Lake for a special election that could potentially recall two current trustees and set the tone for future attempts by the town to add land to its borders.
As of Friday, Aug. 22, 2113 ballots had gone out including:
- 2,070 mailed to active registered voters
- 11 new registrants
- 32 overseas ballots
Ballots are due back no later than 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9. There’s no in-person voting and all ballots must be mailed back or dropped off at the town hall during business hours. Overseas ballots must be postmarked by Sept. 9 and received no later than eight days after Election Day.
What’s on the ballot?
Two recall efforts
The first two questions on the ballot ask if Trustees Shana Ball and Kevin Dreher should be removed from office. These recall efforts were placed through a citizen-led petition.
The complaints cite Ball and Dreher’s vote in December, 2024 that approved a property near I-25 and County Line Road as eligible for annexation. If ultimately annexed, it would pave the way for a giant Buc-ee’s travel center connected to the town’s water resources.
The original 4-1 approval has since been rescinded and a new, similar proposal is currently under debate. The other town trustees who voted in favor of that approval are no longer on the board, save for Dennis Stern. A recall effort against Stern was nullified when the board appointed him mayor after the former mayor resigned suddenly.
Both complaints also cite a disregard for widespread community concerns and allege improper collusion in executive sessions.
In his response, Trustee Dreher wrote that the attempt to recall him is about “a difference in opinion,” regarding the potential Buc-ee’s development.
"Regarding annexation eligibility, the only votes to date are procedural and don’t guarantee Bucees (sic) is coming,” Dreher wrote, according to the sample ballot.
Trustee Ball makes similar rebuttal arguments. The recall is not based on “misconduct or legal violations,” she wrote. “It stems from disagreement over a single policy vote related to annexation eligibility.”
Town officials deemed both petitions had sufficient valid signatures to move forward in May. Each needed 275 valid signatures from town residents.
Candidates for the trustee seats
Additionally, the ballot includes the names of those hoping to replace Ball and Dreher on the board. A third question asks voters to select "not more than two candidates to serve as Trustee" if either or both recalls are successful.
Candidates include:
- Roger Moseley
- John Mable
- Elizabth Harris
A say in future annexations
A citizen-led initiative aimed at allowing voters in Palmer Lake to have a say on future annexations is also on the special election ballot.
The initiative needed 113 valid signatures to make it into the ballot; it collected more than double that.
If it passes, the measure would require that any annexation proposal be put to a public vote. The proposal takes effect as soon as the special election is certified, and, crucially for the Buc-ee’s project, is retroactive by a year. That means even should trustees approve the annexation in coming weeks, in theory it would still require a vote by the whole town to be valid.
The ballot measure also emphasizes that all annexation proposals must be handled in compliance with state law.
What is the impetus for the special election and what are people saying about it?
As the recall initiatives indicate, the impetus for the special election is related to the town's deliberation over an annexation that would allow for a new giant Buc-ee's travel center to be built on the southwest corner of I-25 and County Line Road in northern El Paso County.
It's considered a “flagpole” annexation because the parcel in question is well outside the town’s existing boundaries. In order to absorb it, the town of Palmer Lake would also need to add a strip of land – essentially County Line Road – in order to bring the Buc-ee's land into the town limits. (Possibly Colorado’s most well-known flagpole annexation is the way Peña Boulevard connects DIA to the city of Denver. Voters in Colorado Springs also recently rejected a flagpole annexation there )
Palmer Lake opponents of Buc-ee's are concerned about – among other things – the impact the development would have on the town's water supply and emergency services. Beyond the town’s borders, there are concerns that it will add to traffic on Monument Hill, degrade the quality of life for nearby residents and damage the dark skies, wildlife habitat and scenic beauty.
Backers say the town would benefit long term from the money that sales taxes collected by the Buc-ee’s would bring in.
- Here’s what the agreement between Palmer Lake and Buc-ee’s looks like, mostly. The annexation still needs approval
- Mayor of Palmer Lake resigns with town divided over possible Buc-ee’s
- Palmer Lake trustees name new mayor amid controversy and discord over possible Buc-ee’s development
- Buc-ee’s clears annexation eligibility hurdle in Palmer Lake
