La Junta council discussed ethics disclosures, but complaint process remains unsettled

La Junta City Council members discussed a conflict-of-interest disclosure form Aug. 3, but the city had not formally adopted a process for handling future ethics complaints as of Aug. 15. The July 20 council record lists five complaint issues — not four — and records verbal conclusions on each without an individual motion, roll-call vote or tally.

The complaints involved:

• A city manager job application. City Attorney Clay Buchner advised that executive-job applicants’ names were protected under applicable law and recommended no action. The record says the matter was closed.
• An alleged conflict of interest involving the city attorney and city manager. Buchner said the issue had been addressed by the city attorney’s resignation and required no further action. The record says it was resolved.
• An alleged exclusion of a council member from meetings or communications. Buchner said exclusion from properly noticed public meetings would need to be corrected but characterized the third-party complaint as non-actionable. The record says the item was concluded.
• Alleged mayoral involvement in a March 2026 fireworks-and-assault incident. Buchner said the mayor was not seen at or near the scene, that law enforcement had acted appropriately and that the council should not interfere with a criminal investigation. The record says the matter was resolved with no further council action.
• Alleged city-manager involvement in the same incident. Buchner said the city manager was not lighting fireworks, had no direct involvement with them and intervened to break up the altercation. He said the appropriate parties had been criminally charged and the matter had been handled by law enforcement. The record says it was concluded or closed with no further council action.

The record uses phrases including “hearing none,” “the issue is resolved” and “this matter is closed.” Those dispositions reflect Buchner’s advice and the council’s recorded conclusions, not findings from an independent investigation. The record does not establish the underlying allegations.

At the Aug. 3 meeting, Buchner presented a conflict-of-interest disclosure form addressing Colorado statutory and constitutional ethics requirements, including potential conflicts involving gifts, family relationships and contract interests, according to the meeting minutes. Buchner said a resolution adopting the form had passed, but the minutes do not provide its number, text or other details. The council also approved the July 20 minutes through the consent agenda.

The Aug. 3 minutes record discussion of an informal first step for potential conflicts: the city attorney would review a disclosure and speak individually with council members, using verbal or written disclosures. Buchner said the city could use a complaint procedure, or a version of one being developed, if a council member disagreed with his assessment. The minutes also mention a possible ethics board but do not attribute other comments to specific council members.

The minutes document no motion, second, vote, schedule, revision or other formal action adopting an ethics board, complaint procedure or method for investigating disputed conflicts. A disclosure form and informal review are not the same as a formal complaint process.

The council had previously discussed having the city attorney, an independent ethics board, an outside hearing officer, the council or human resources review future disclosures or complaints. Mayor Ayala said the issue would return at the next meeting, while Council Member Maureen Rikhof described it as delayed for further discussion.

A July 27 work session with Buchner was scheduled to review the CIRSA handbook and develop a complaint process. Buchner said he was preparing advice on a framework for receiving complaints and setting parameters for review or investigation. A search of the city’s public CivicClerk portal and meeting-calendar records found no accessible record through Aug. 15 showing adoption, scheduling or revision of a formal process. The available record does not establish whether the city selected a reviewer, investigator, ethics board, hearing officer, human-resources procedure or deadline.