World Journal: The Town of Aguilar’s Board of Trustees may be charting rough waters after its July 8 special meeting, where one trustee jumped ship and another was quietly pushed overboard—with little warning and questionable regard for legal navigation.

The board convened with a posted agenda listing standard business items, but no mention of any board vacancies. Minutes after gaveling in, Mayor Erlinda Encinias asked the board to amend the agenda to accept a letter of resignation from Trustee Robert Romero, who had just handed her the document. The board approved the amendment and formally accepted Romero’s resignation later in the meeting.

While resignations are not uncommon, how the board handled this one may have veered off course. Colorado Revised Statute § 24-6-402(2)(c) — part of the state’s Open Meetings Law — requires that special meeting notices include “specific agenda information where possible” and be posted at least 24 hours in advance. The same section mandates that “formal action” (like accepting a resignation) may only occur after “full and timely notice to the public.” Voting to accept the resignation, without listing the matter on the publicly posted agenda, likely falls outside the legal boundaries.

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