County term limits on the ballot in El Paso and Teller

El Paso County used to be ground zero in the term limits movement.

Now, voters are being asked to extend consecutive time-in-office from eight to 12 years for several local elected positions.

Initiatives 1B, 1C and 1D in El Paso County, and 1B in Teller County, propose lengthening from two to three consecutive terms the offices of the 4th Judicial District Attorney, El Paso County commissioners and the county treasurer, assessor, surveyor, and clerk and recorder.

In 1994, Colorado voters approved Amendment 17, which set term limits for all elected offices in the state; Congressional members are exempt. Among the leaders of the initiative: former El Paso County commissioners and Republican state Sen. Ed Jones.

“Our reasoning was pretty straightforward: Most of the time, no one is indispensable,” he said.

But the law contains a provision that allows local governments to place term-limit exemption questions on the ballot. Since then, 56 counties have removed or extended term limits for one or more elected offices, according to Colorado Counties Inc.    - More -