Court affirms county’s interpretation of 14-8 in Home Rule Charter

Published on October 20, 2026

A court order released Oct. 19, 2026, by Senior District Court Judge Stephen J. Jouard, formally denied a motion for preliminary injunction filed by Elijah Hatch.

Hatch, who serves on the Weld County Council, said he filed the motion as a resident of the county and was seeking an injunction from the court to halt work on the new Weld County Justice Center stating a violation of Weld County Code section 14-8 and a violation of Article X, Section 20(4)(b) of the Colorado Constitution.

The court found no such violations:

• The Court is persuaded by the argument of the Board that the provision is most reasonably interpreted as a “taxing” limitation…
• …the Court finds that the more likely and plausible interpretation is that Charter Section 14-8 provides for a taxing limitation.

The Weld County Board of Commissioners has publicly stated on several occasions that taxes were not being raised to pay for the justice center project, rather the county would use existing funds and available financial tools to ensure additional tax dollars would not be required to fulfill the state-mandated project.

As cited in the order: “The Court determines…that Plaintiff Hatch has failed to establish a reasonable probability of success on the merits of his claim. The Court further finds that the County has a statutory mandate to provide court facilities and maintenance of such facilities and that the delay in the planning, budgeting and construction of the Justice Center project would disserve the public interest.”