Colorado Springs voters will get to decide in June whether the city continues the controversial Karman Line annexation.

The City Council voted 8-1 at the meeting Tuesday to set a June 17 special election for a vote that could reverse the Karman Line annexation, a nearly 1,900-acre addition about 2 miles east of the current city limits that the council approved in January. Councilmember Brian Risley was the sole vote against the election.

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The council set the language for the question in addition to the date. The ballot will read “Shall the voters approve Ordinance 25-16, concerning annexing that area known as Karman Line Addition No. 6 consisting of 1,876.24 acres located northwest of the Bradley Road and Curtis Road intersection into the city of Colorado Springs?”

Developers from One La Plata requested the annexation to build a 6,500-single family home neighborhood and commercial space built out over the next two decades.

A petition campaign led by county residents gathered enough signatures to force a referendum on the addition. Petitioners said the location for the annexation did not make sense and the location for the development was a bad use for the city’s limited water supply.

Ann Rush, who lives near the Karman Line property and worked with neighbors to launch the petition, said Tuesday’s decision was a win, given how rare special-election issues are in Colorado Springs.

“People see a lot of things going on within the city and the county that they feel the leadership should focus on instead. Those are the sentiments we heard when gathering signatures, too,” Rush said.

The City Council voted 6-3 to affirm its previous decision and not repeal the annexation itself. Nancy Henjum and Dave Donelson, the only two who voted against the annexation in January, voted no along with Councilmember Lynette Crow-Iverson, who said she had “heartburn” over the cost of a special election.

City Clerk Sarah Johnson said the special election will cost the city around $500,000, not including extra hours for city staff. Ballots will be mailed out May 23 to the roughly 337,000 registered voters in Colorado Springs.

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The signature campaign against the annexation received its own scrutiny after paying $247,000 for a professional signature gathering firm to help collect signatures. One La Plata has accused a rival, Norwood Development Group, of coordinating the signature gatherers and covering much of the campaign’s cost.

“I respect the citizens for doing that. I absolutely have no respect for one of the developers who went out and funded that. I have zero respect for them, and I want them to know it,” Council President Randy Helms said.

Rush said the funding for the signature-gathering workers came from a collection of “at least 50” individuals and businesses. She said paid staffers were hired because volunteers could not do enough during weekends and after their own work schedules to gather enough support.

In an opinion column and an open letter published ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Yemi Mobolade said the special election was the best option for the city at this point. Mobolade said the signature gathering effort was tainted by “local special-interest groups” who did not reflect the serious vetting the city had done for the annexation.

Norris Ranch Joint Development, which helped fund the Karman Line project, said in a statement Tuesday that it hoped voters would support the development to provide more competition in the housing market.

Henjum said that the eventual decision on the annexation could become a message for other cities along Colorado’s Front Range and potentially beyond when it came to growing and managing water.

“It’s not just a vote on this annexation but to lead a conversation about how we develop and stay vibrant in the West with limited resources,” Henjum said.

Last meeting for 4 on council

Tuesday was the final meeting for four of the current council members before the winners of the April 1 council elections take office next week.

Helms, O’Malley, Yolanda Avila and Michelle Talarico are the four outgoing members. Avila was term-limited after eight years in office while the others chose not to run for reelection.

Each received a celebratory resolution to close the council meeting along with jovial memories and sincere gratitude from the other council members. The council will hold a less formal farewell celebration with speeches Thursday night.