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Volunteers are allowed to engage in regular lawful political activities, including, but not limited to attending rallies, voting, donating to campaign or issue committees, or volunteering for a campaign. However, volunteers on a county board or commission are not permitted to seek county political office while serving. A volunteer must resign from any county volunteer boards or commissions if they publicly announce their intention to run for County Commissioner, Assessor, Clerk and Recorder, Coroner, District Attorney, Sheriff, Surveyor, or Treasurer.

Open Meeting Laws & Sunshine Notices

Open Meeting Laws and Sunshine Notices are in place to enhance transparency and accountability by giving residents access to meetings in which decisions are made. Colorado law requires volunteer boards and commissions to publicly notice all meetings where two or more members discuss business. This is an important concept to remember and one where you could easily violate the law unintentionally.

You cannot discuss your board or commission business with any other member –except for questions about scheduling – without going through the proper channels to notice that discussion to the public.

You must discuss any desire to discuss board business outside of your regularly scheduled meetings with the staff member who works with your board or commission. If the extra meeting is within the scope of the business of the board or commission and sanctioned by your chair, then staff will generate something called a “Sunshine Notice” which alerts the public to your intention to meet and invites them to attend. Never schedule meetings at a location the public cannot readily attend or where you or they are not comfortable. For instance, never schedule a public meeting at your private residence unless you are comfortable with the prospect of unfamiliar people entering your home. You also cannot schedule a meeting at a location where someone must pay a fee or maintain a membership to enter

Please consult your supporting staff members if you have questions.

Cora

Colorado also has laws that govern a person’s ability to retrieve documents and other records from governments. This portion of the law is known as the Colorado Open Records Act, or “CORA” As a volunteer, documents, notes, e-mails, text messages, and other records related to your service is subject to CORA.

Residents must file a CORA request to county staff, who subsequently process the request in accordance with Colorado law and El Paso County policies. Contact your supporting staff members if a member of the public reaches out to you directly and asks for records under CORA. (Someone may also use the phrase “Freedom of Information Act” or “FOIA”).

A county employee who works with CORA will contact you if your volunteer board or commission is the subject of a CORA request. They will discuss the scope of the request with you to determine if you have any records that may be subject to public inspection. The CORA specialist will vet any records you give them and consult with the county’s attorneys before anything is released You must never conceal any records you have that may be responsive to a CORA request, though you may freely discuss any concerns about privacy or other sensitivities you have about any records you supply to county staff. Never respond directly to the individual that filed the CORA request.

El Paso County believes in transparency at every level of government. It’s your responsibility to make a reasonable effort to keep records associated with your volunteer experience with the County.

Bylaws

Every volunteer board or commission has a governing document called “bylaws” that is specific to your board. This document discusses how board leadership is elected, how meetings are conducted, term-limits, and other responsibilities you must fulfill. Please reach out to the supporting department’s staff if you do not receive a copy of your board or commission’s bylaws.

Amendment 41

Colorado voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2006 called “Amendment 41”. This amendment serves the public interest by limiting, among other things, the amount of money or gifts a government official can receive from people other than close friends and family. As a volunteer, you are not permitted to accept gifts such as free meals or tickets to events valued above $65. Additionally, you cannot accept gifts from vendors that provide contract services to the county or who may have business before your volunteer board or commission.

Accepting a gift may be inadvisable even if it complies with Amendment 41 if it erodes the public’s trust or casts suspicion on your work

The dollar valuation limit outlined by Amendment 41 is adjusted for inflation each year. The limit is a cumulative total over the course of a calendar year from either an organization or an individual. For instance, you could accept a water bottle valued at $20 dollars and a lunch valued at $44 from the same entity in a single year. However, you would violate Amendment 41 if you subsequently accepted a keychain from the same entity valued at $5 dollars during the same calendar year.

Amendment 41 restrictions do not apply to gifts, tickets, food, or other items supplied to you by El Paso County in connection with your volunteer service

There are certain exceptions to these rules based on narrow circumstances. Please contact the staff of your supporting department if you have questions about accepting a gift from anyone in connection with your volunteer service to El Paso County.