A Colorado Republican Party officer has scheduled a meeting of the party’s state central committee to consider whether to curb state GOP chair Brita Horn’s spending authority and hold a confidence vote in her leadership, but Horn said the party official who issued the formal call lacked the required legal authority, so the meeting won’t take place.

Organizers of the disputed meeting, however, told Colorado Politics that they are following party bylaws and intend to go ahead with the online meeting, set for Feb. 21.

The latest development in an ongoing battle over the direction of the state GOP comes as party officials prepare to hold precinct caucuses in early March, the first step in a weeks-long process to nominate Republican candidates to the June primary ballot.

Last week, state party vice chair Richard Holtorf, a former state lawmaker and congressional candidate, announced his intention to resign his position at the end of February, saying it was “impossible” to work with Horn. He’s the second vice chair to quit the job while citing Horn’s leadership style since Horn took office 10 months ago.

The dispute over the Feb. 21 meeting centers around a petition circulated by Horn critics last fall that sought votes to rein in party spending, cancel a lawsuit aimed at former party officials and ask central committee members to register whether they “have confidence in the continued leadership of Brita Horn.” At the time, Horn characterized the attempt to call a meeting based on the petition as “illegal” and said it would have no effect.

State GOP secretary Russ Andrews, who earlier ruled that the petition didn’t meet requirements, reversed his position last week and said that its organizers had gathered the necessary number of signatures to force a special meeting of the central committee, a group of more than 500 Republican county officers and elected officials that typically convenes a few times each year.

After Andrews distributed a formal call for the online meeting on Monday, Horn fired back with a memo describing Andrews’ call as “invalid and without any legal authority,” citing party bylaws and a decision by the party’s executive committee in November that determined the petition had been submitted on the wrong form.

“Mr. Andrews has no power to call meetings of the Colorado Republican State Central Committee,” Horn wrote. “This meeting will not take place. Any actions taken would be null and void.”

Added Horn: “I will not dignify this procedurally invalid attempt with further discussion. Our focus remains on winning elections, building fundraising capacity, and supporting Republican candidates across Colorado.”

Andrews said he disagrees with Horn’s interpretation of party rules and is confident that the meeting complies with legal requirements.

“My position is that she’s like a drowning rat that will say and anything to stay ‘in power,'” Andrews said in a text message, adding that Horn has ignored an appeal filed by petition organizers for months.

“She is a bitter, miserable leader and she cannot raise $$$, see Article 7 of the bylaws,” Andrews concluded.

Elected with Horn as part of a slate of party officer candidates last spring, Andrews told Colorado Politics last week that he frequently clashes with Horn but plans to stay in his post at least through the GOP’s state assembly, which is scheduled to take place on April 11 in Pueblo.

The Colorado Springs Republican who circulated the petition to force the special meeting told Colorado Politics that the meeting will proceed as planned.

“Brita is grasping at straws,” said Raymond Garcia, who chairs the Colorado Hispanic Republicans and is an elected bonus member from El Paso County to the GOP state central committee, in a text message.

Garcia accused Horn of “stalling” an appeal he filed after the state executive committee decided he’d used an old petition form, but insisted that didn’t matter, since Andrews admitted he changed the form after Garcia began gathering signatures.

“There is nobody (not even Brita) that is claiming we do not have the requisite number of (state central committee) members requesting a special meeting,” Garcia said, calling it “undeniable” that at least one-quarter of the central committee membership had indicated support for the meeting. “Brita is simply trying to avoid calling this legal meeting because she knows she will lose.”

Horn did not respond to a request for comment.