Lamar City Council meeting of April 27, 2026

Mayor Kirk Crespin addressed the audience before the meeting started.  In his remarks, he said that many of the complaints he has heard over the past 6 or 7 years is that there isn’t anything to do here.  He said that just this past Saturday alone, there were many events going on, including kids playing in the parks, the Parks and Recreation Department’s youth soccer games, the Wild West BBQ event, the Southeast Colorado Daddy/Daughter dance and more.  There are many more events coming up throughout this spring.  He said the city crews recently did a lot of work at North Gateway Park doing improvements.  Crespin said that community members have expressed that they enjoy the swimming area and he wanted to thank Brannan Aggregates for their help with the new sand for the beach area.  Also available at the park are archery, beach volleyball, fishing and more.  He suggested that people looking for activities to enjoy should follow the Facebook pages of the Lamar Parks and Recreation Department, Lamar Chamber of Commerce, PEP and the City of Lamar. The Prowers Journal Community Calendar also lists upcoming events.  He encouraged people to attend the events that people have worked hard to put on.

City Treasurer Kristin Swartz told Council that in the Council member’s meeting packets was the financial report for the first quarter of 2026 but reminded them that the report has not yet been audited.  She also said that a new utility billing and payroll processing clerk just started, replacing someone who is retiring.  City Clerk Linda Williams said that they have been working on the Sales Tax module of the city’s new software program and that it is about 75% completed with a final data dump this coming Friday.  City Administrator Mitch Hammes had several event announcements.  The Arkansas Valley Wind & Percussion Ensemble spring concert will be held Tuesday, April 28 at 7 pm at Lamar High School.  Kids are free with a ticketed adult.  The Lamar Chamber of Commerce Cinco de Mayo event is Saturday, May 2 at the Enchanted Forest from 11 am to 9 pm.  The District 6 CML Spring meeting is May 21 in La Junta.  Lamar Days will be held May 16 at Willow Valley Park.  There will be a “fly in” at the airport on June 29 by the Experimental Aircraft Association pilots and that further information will be forthcoming for people wishing to attend. He also told Council that the candidate for the city’s communication and public relations position declined the offer but that they received two other applications and will proceed with interviews.

Council member Joe Gonzales said that the Planning and Zoning Commission met recently regarding the second reading of the 220 Holly Street Annexation, which will have its second reading during the night’s meeting.  Council members Mark Headlee, David Zavala, and Brent Bates did not have any updates from meetings or correspondence from constituents.  Council member Gerry Jenkins said she met with Lamar Housing and that apartments are rented out and that they appreciated help from the city’s Code Enforcement officers.  She also said she met with the local women who are trying to get Neighborhood Watch programs going but are met with frustration that citizens and city staff are not coming to meetings.  Specifically, she requested that representatives from the Lamar Police Department attend the meetings to answer questions regarding what the programs can and can’t do legally.  City Administrator Mitch Hammes said he would try very hard to get someone from the police department to attend but said they are stretched thin due to the number of officers and availability for same.  He suggested that the group have a list of questions for the next meeting and he will try to have a representative attend at least part of the meeting at its beginning to answer same.  Council member Brad Johnson said that he went to the Monday meeting of PEP, during which a guest speaker talked about recycling and that PEP was in the process of re-electing officers.  Mayor Crespin said that most of the calls he has been receiving recently have concerned the situation with Hartman.  He wanted to remind everyone that Lamar has no jurisdiction over Hartman and cannot get involved in any legal matters they are experiencing.  He did say that the Prowers County Board of Commissioners has been working diligently and doing what they can to help.

The only item listed for the Old Business portion of the meeting was the second reading of the 220 Holly Street LLC Ordinance No. 1284, “An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Lamar Colorado, Annexing to the City of Lamar, Colorado certain real property known as the 220 Holly Street Property”.  A unanimous vote approved this second reading.

Under New Business, item 1 was approving Proclamation No. 26-04 “A Proclamation Declaring the First Week of May as Youth Week”.  Speaking to Council about this was Joe Stagner, Jr., Exalted Ruler of B.P.O.E. No. 1319.  He thanked Council for considering the request for the proclamation, saying that the Elks try to involve local youth with such things as the Hoop Shoot, Soccer Shoot, student of the month awards, scholarships, the Easter Egg hunt and more.  Elks members will be at Lamar Days to speak with interested people and let them know who the Elks are and what they do for the community.  The second agenda item was the proposed acceptance of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Lamar Police Department and DATAPILOT/Our Rescue.  This will allow the department to utilize free forensic software donated by Our Rescue for investigative efforts against child exploitation.  The nonprofit group is supplying this software free of charge for a year, paying the $4,495 to DATAPILOT on the city’s behalf.  If, after a year, the city wishes to continue, they will be asked to sign an agreement to continue at an approximate cost of $2000.  Third on the agenda was a contract with Riverside Communication (KLMR AM920 and FM 93.5).  This contract is between Riverside and the Lamar Public Library for reduced-rate commercials to advertise upcoming events and services provided by the library.  The contract would run through March 2027 at a total cost of $1440.  The trial basis of this was successful and Council voted unanimously to approve, with Mayor Crespin abstaining as he has a financial interest in Riverside Communication.

Item 4 on the agenda was ratifying approval of Resolution 26-04-02 to allow for submission of a funding request from DOLA to defray costs of “cleaning up” the city’s Zoning Codes.  It was approved unanimously.  Next up was a discussion about the May 25 and June 22 City Council meetings.  Due to Memorial Day falling on May 25, Council voted to hold the meeting the following night, May 26 at 7 pm.  The June 22 meeting was cancelled due to the weeklong annual CML conference that week.  It was approved with the addition of allowing the City Treasurer to pay bills during this time period.  Two Executive Sessions followed the regular meeting, one to discuss the City Administrator’s 6-month probationary period and the other to discuss matters subject to negotiations, developing strategy for negotiations and/or instructing negotiators regarding economic development matters.

The next meeting of Lamar City Council will be held Monday, May 11, 2026 at 7 pm.

By: Barbara Crimond