The Case for Douglas County Home Rule

As the representative for Douglas County in the Colorado General Assembly, I see every day how unique and exceptional our community truly is. We don’t just talk about safe neighborhoods, responsive government, and principled leadership - we live it. That’s why I strongly support the Douglas County Home Rule initiative and have stepped up to run for a seat on the Charter Commission.

At its core, Home Rule is about protecting the values that have made Douglas County a model for governance in Colorado, especially our uncompromising commitment to public safety and law enforcement. While other jurisdictions have defunded police, tied the hands of officers, or turned a blind eye to rising crime, Douglas County has taken the opposite approach: we invest in safety. We back our deputies, equip our first responders, and keep our communities secure.

Home Rule gives us the ability to preserve that model and strengthen it.

Douglas County Attorney Jeffrey A. Garcia has prepared and published this Home Rule Presentation to provide details and key points on this initiative.

What Home Rule Actually Does

There’s been a lot of noise about what Home Rule means. Some of it is confusion. Some of it is deliberate misinformation.

Here’s the truth: Home Rule does not allow Douglas County to ignore state law. But it does let us decide how best to deliver services like law enforcement, emergency management, and public works - based on what our citizens actually need, not what Denver bureaucrats assume.

Under current law, we’re required to run county operations according to rules designed for all 63 counties, from dense urban areas to remote rural plains. But we’re not Denver, and we’re not the Eastern Plains. We’re Douglas County, and our governance should reflect that.

With Home Rule, we write a local charter - essentially our own constitution - that defines how we govern ourselves. That includes how we support our sheriff’s office, how we structure emergency preparedness, and how we safeguard the rights of our citizens.

Public Safety: The Sharpest Contrast

The difference between Douglas County and cities like Denver or Aurora is night and day when it comes to law enforcement. While Denver has politicized policing and allowed crime to surge, Douglas County has empowered law enforcement professionals to do their job, and the results speak for themselves. We have some of the lowest crime rates in the region, and some of the highest levels of public trust.

Home Rule gives us the chance to codify that success. It allows us to shield our public safety strategies from the kind of political interference that has hollowed out enforcement elsewhere. It lets us hire and retain qualified professionals without being strangled by state-level red tape. And it gives us the legal framework to reject mandates that threaten the safety and stability of our neighborhoods.

Why Now?

Because the erosion of local control is accelerating.

State lawmakers are passing sweeping mandates - on housing, zoning, energy, and public health - that ignore the needs of our communities and burden local governments with one-size-fits-all regulations. In public safety alone, we’ve seen proposals that limit local discretion in hiring, training, and managing peace officers. And when counties resist, we’re told to get in line.

Douglas County has never accepted the notion that “Denver knows best.” We’ve proven - again and again - that we govern better when we govern ourselves.

Addressing the Concerns

Some critics have claimed Home Rule will lead to a secretive government or radical changes. That’s false.

In June, voters will decide only whether to form a Charter Commission. If approved, that Commission - made up of elected residents from all across the county - will spend months publicly drafting a proposed charter. That charter will then go to voters again in November for final approval. Nothing happens without transparency, and nothing happens without your vote.

What We Stand to Gain

Home Rule will allow Douglas County to:

  • Prioritize public safety without interference from state-level ideological mandates.

  • Maintain full control over how law enforcement agencies operate.

  • Streamline hiring and budgeting for first responders.

  • Seek exemptions from harmful legislation that weakens safety and undermines authority.

  • Protect taxpayers, property rights, and parental rights through local accountability.

  • Enshrine our law-and-order approach into governing documents.

And most importantly, it reaffirms the principle that government exists to serve the people, not the other way around.

Final Thoughts

I’m running for the Charter Commission because I want to ensure Douglas County can continue doing what it does best: keeping our citizens safe, governing with integrity, and defending our local values.

We’re not like Denver, and we should never be forced to govern like Denver.

Home Rule won’t make us radical, it’ll make us resilient. It ensures that our commitment to safety, order, and excellence isn’t swept aside by the shifting priorities of the State Capitol.

Let’s take this next step, together, and keep Douglas County safe, strong, and sovereign.

Most Respectfully,

Representative Max Brooks, House District 45
Candidate for Douglas County Home Rule Commission, District 2
Location: Castle Rock, CO, USA

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