Our Community Newsletter #26 – October 6, 2025 – PL suit dismissed, PL Trustee Hutson Resigns, Buc-ee’s annexation election Feb. 5

Lawsuit against Palmer Lake dismissed
Palmer Lake Trustee Amy Hutson resigns
Palmer Lake Board grants Buc-ee’s request for annexation election, continues public hearing to Feb. 5
Check out all the great content in our Oct. 4th issue!
Upcoming Events
Keep up with fast-moving developments in the Tri-Lakes area with our new OCN app!
Don’t miss any of the videos posted on our YouTube Channel

Lawsuit against Palmer Lake dismissed

By John Heiser

On Friday, Oct. 3, El Paso County District Court Judge William B. Bain dismissed a lawsuit brought in January against the Town of Palmer Lake by Integrity Matters.

The suit sought to stop the development of a proposed Buc-ee’s travel center. Integrity Matters claimed that the actions taken by the town in determining annexation eligibility were “arbitrary, lacked transparency, and ignored critical statutory and constitutional safeguards.”

The board voted 4-1 in December and 6-1 in May that the land west of Interstate 25 and north of Monument was eligible to apply for annexation.

In dismissing the lawsuit, the judge found the plaintiffs lacked standing to contest the annexation and had insufficient legal grounds for their other complaints.

In a press release, the town said, “The Court’s ruling confirms that the claims brought against the Town were without sufficient legal basis to move forward. While the order itself is concise, it firmly upholds the
key arguments the Town presented and provides a solid foundation should an appeal be pursued.”

John Heiser can be contacted at johnheiser@ocn.me.

Palmer Lake Trustee Amy Hutson resigns

Here is her Oct. 3 message as posted on the PL website:

To the residents of Palmer Lake:

I have volunteered for 5 years for the Town of Palmer Lake as both a Planning Commissioner and then as Trustee. During that time, I have helped write and implement the current Community Master Plan, rewrite the sign code, rewrite the land use code, push for a code compliance officer, and push for a real plan for the Elephant Rock property. I became a trustee to honor the master plan and the planning commission. I was always trying to help and make things better.

I have been yelled at, defamed, accused of wrongdoing, and sued. Breaking news….The judge has dismissed all charges against me and all the other charges against the town. “Integrity” Matters is a joke. Look it up. Look up also that they tried to get the town to pay $775,000 to settle.

My skin is too thin and I’m too bitter at this point to carry out my office. I officially resign my position as a Palmer Lake Trustee as of today October 3rd , 2025. And by the way, if BOT did get to vote on Buc-ee’s, I was going to vote No. Good luck finding someone who knows the master plan and code as well as I do who has a kind servant’s heart.

Amy

Amy Hutson Trustee,
Mayor Pro Tem Town of Palmer Lake

Palmer Lake Board grants Buc-ee’s request for annexation election, continues public hearing to Feb. 5

By Jackie Burhans

At the special meeting Oct. 2, the Palmer Lake Board of Trustees planned to hold a public hearing on the Buc-ee’s annexation to consider the petition for annexation, a plan to zone the property as Planned Development (PD), and a sketch plan. A large audience attended and vocally expressed their disapproval with the proceedings.

The agenda noted that the applicant submitted a written request to hold an annexation election and continue the public hearing to a later date and specify the date of that hearing. Town Attorney Scott Krob, noting the recently passed ordinance used the vague language of the initiative that voters passed in the Sept. 9 special election, said that the applicant was within their rights to request the election and the board should follow the will of the voters. At the Sept. 25 board meeting, Krob said the election could take place at any point in the process. Krob said the board’s election consultant said the election could take place within 120 days and that, given their reimbursement agreement with the applicant, Buc-ee’s would pay for the cost of the election.

After much discussion from the board and numerous points of order and points of information, primarily raised by Integrity Matters’ attorney Kat Gayle, the board voted four in favor and three opposed to granting the request for an annexation election and to continue the public hearing until February 5. Trustees Beth Harris, Atis Jurka, and Roger Mosely voted no; Mike Boyett, Tim Caves, Amy Hutson, and Mayor Dennis Stern voted yes.

Had the board voted on the questions in the originally planned public hearing, a two-thirds vote would have been required in accordance with Section 17.14.010 (7) of the town’s municipal code because the proposed rezoning had been protested by more than 20% of the owners of adjacent properties.

Jackie Burhans can be contacted at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Check out all the great content in our Oct. 4th issue!

Almost 23,000 copies of our Oct. 6th issue were mailed Oct. 2nd.

The articles and photos in that issue and the associated photo collection have been posted at www.ocn.me.

The audio files and podcasts will be posted later today.

Read our October Issue

Read our On-Line E-Editions

Listen to our highlights podcast

Download a PDF of our October Issue

View our October issue photo collection

Upcoming Events

Readers should assume that event information published in this issue is subject to change and information should be confirmed a day or two before the event by calling the information number or checking the organization’s website.

See our new on-line calendar or page < 22 > and page < 23 > of our October issue for event locations and other details of these and many other local events.

WMMI, Miners’ Pumpkin Patch, every Sat. in Oct. See ad on page < 10 >.
Monument Town Council, Mon., Oct. 6, 6:30 pm.
Checkered table talks, monthly speaker series. Thu., Oct. 7, doors open 5 pm, program 5:30-6:30 pm,
Speed puzzle events, Tue., Oct. 7; Mon., Oct. 13; Mon., Oct. 20. 6:30 pm-9:30 pm See ad on page < 2 >.
Friends of Monument Preserve (FOMP) Trail Repair Work Days, Thu., Oct. 9, 5 pm-7 pm
Palmer Lake Board of Trustees Meeting, Thu., Oct. 9, 6 pm.
Tri-Lakes Women’s Club, Fri., Oct. 10, Michael Weinfeld and John Howe present highlights of their book Shootouts, Killings, and War Heroes: The History Hidden in Monument Cemetery.
Maker’s Market, Sat.-Sun., Oct. 11-12. See ad on page < 8 >.
100+ Women Who Care Bi-Annual Meeting, Wed., Oct. 15, 5 pm-7 pm.
Palmer Lake Historical Society, Thu., Oct. 16, 7-8 pm (doors open at 6:30).
Covered Treasures Bookstore Book Signing, Thu., Oct. 16, 4 pm-7 pm; Margaret Mizushima, Burning Cry; Kathleen Donnelly, Colorado K-9 Secrets, Killer Secrets. Sat., Oct. 18, 11-1 p.m., Doug Freed, Over Hill and Over Dale; 12-2 p.m., Andrew Singer & Stacy May, Now Is the Time and She Journeys. 105 Second Street, Monument, 719-481-2665.
Restyle Your Fur, Mon.-Tue., Oct. 20-21, 10 am-5 pm. See ad on page < 10 >.
Monument Town Council, Mon., Oct. 20, 6:30 pm.
Palmer Lake Board of Trustees Meeting, Thu., Oct. 23, 6 pm.
St. Peter Catholic School Trunk or Treat and Fall Festival, Fri., Oct. 24, 5 pm-7 pm. See ad on page < 2 >.
Monument Professional Firefighters Annual Pumpkin Giveaway, Sat., Oct. 25, 10 am-2 pm.
OCN mailing days, Thu., Oct. 30, approx. 7-8:30 am. If you can help, even for an hour or two, getting the papers ready to mail, contact AllenAlchian@ocn.me or (719) 488-3455.
Downtown Monument Safe Trick or Treat, Fri., Oct. 31, 4 pm-6 pm.
TLWC’s Joys of the Holiday Season Holiday Home Tour, Fri.-Sat., Nov. 21-22, 10-4pm. See ad on page < 8 >.

With our new on-line calendar, you can easily search for your favorite events, view upcoming events in a variety of formats (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) and add events of interest to the calendar on your mobile device or computer.

Check out our On-Line Calendar

Keep up with fast-moving developments in the Tri-Lakes area with our new OCN app!

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No need to search the app store. Just click the button below for a description of our great new app and detailed instructions on installing it using the browser on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, Chromebook, or desktop computer.

In the screenshot below, the app is reporting 10 new upcoming events including a car show, farmers’ market, D38 school board meeting, and Monument Town Council meeting.

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Don’t miss any of the videos posted on our YouTube Channel

Annual Ride for Tim
Palmer Lake 0.5k
D38 Candidate Forum
Trinity Park Expands
Restroom Installation at Monument Lake
OCN September Issue Audio Highlights Podcast (29 min.)
OCN September Issue Audio Articles Podcast (2 hr. 38 min.)
Palmer Lake Library Concert Series 2025
Opening of the Tri-Lakes Activity Center (formerly the Senior Center)
Lang Investment Services Pig Roast, Aug. 8
July 4th Monument Parade and Street Fair and Palmer Lake fireworks
Silver Key moves to the Presbyterian Church
Interview with Sam DeFelice (40 min.)
Interview with Jim Maguire (55 min.)
Art Hop – Short interview with artist Darcy Muncey
WMMI History Day
Cops and Bobbers
Chad Smith sworn in as Monument Town Council member
Jim Maguire Celebration of Life
Palmer Lake Fishing Derby
P51 Statute Dedication at Monument Town Hall

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