Douglas County commissioners’ push for home rule power could result in a change they don’t want: the expansion of the board from three commissioners to five.

“Few problems are solved by more politicians,” Douglas County’s Board of County Commissioners Chaiman Abe Laydon said after the public raised the idea at Tuesday’s meeting.

A few residents voiced support and opposition to Douglas County’s home rule effort and their most frequent topic was expanding the number of commissioners from three to five.

“I don’t want to get ahead of the 21-member charter commission, if seated,” Laydon told The Denver Gazette. “But I don’t envision a scenario where that group would believe it’s wise to spend over a million dollars to add politicians.”

Commissioner George Teal agreed with Laydon, arguing each new commissioner would annually cost the county $500,000.

“There just is no benefit for that additional cost,” he said.

Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle didn’t respond to a request for comment.

If the home rule effort is approved by voters during a June 24 special election, voters would select the 21 members of a charter commission that would be tasked with writing the county’s home rule charter. Provisions in that charter could include changes like more commissioners.

Voters would then decide on approving the charter during the November election.

Douglas County commissioners approved holding home rule elections in an effort to gain more local control.

The last time that happened in Colorado was in 1978, when Pitkin County’s home rule charter expanded its number of commissioners from three to five. Weld County also adopted its own home rule charter and now has five commissioners.

“I think that’s benefited the county in many ways,” Weld County At-Large Commissioner Kevin Ross previously told the Denver Gazette on having home rule status and five commissioners.

“We’re not just policy setters here for the county,” he said. “We’re actually managing the day-to-day activities. It has us keep a closer eye and tighter control on our finances. We have a better idea what staffing needs are and ways to find efficiency with the commissioners.”

Colorado law requires counties with over 70,000 residents to have either three or five commissioners. Douglas County, which has over 400,000 residents, is split into three commissioner districts. 

In neighboring El Paso County to the south, five commissioners sit on the dais. In 1978, voters there decided to have five commissioners without home rule status, according to El Paso County officials.

Supporters of having more commissioners argue that Douglas County is too big for just three commissioners.

One is Rep. Bob Marshall, a Democrat from the Highlands Ranch Metro District, who has proposed a bill that would require all Colorado counties of over 250,000 residents to have five commissioners.

“Lots of problems are solved by extra politicians watching the other politicians,” Marshall told The Denver Gazette. “If you have a division of authority and power, and people are jealous over their own authority and power, you have checks and balances going on.”

All three Douglas County commissioners have applied to be at-large representatives on the home rule charter committee, according to the county’s website. Marshall is also on the ballot to be on the home rule charter committee from district three.

Other notable charter committee ballot names include Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly, Rep. Max Brooks, Castle Rock Town Councilmember Tim Dietz, former Commissioner Lora Thomas, former Republican commissioner candidate Priscilla Rahn, and former Democratic commissioner candidates Angela Thomas and Julien Bouquet.

Douglas County’s first home rule town hall is scheduled for 6 p.m. May 28 at 100 Third St. in Castle Rock.