A potential special election to recall Johnstown Mayor Michael Duncan could cost the Town an estimated $30,000 to $35,000, according to Town Clerk Meghan Martinez. Martinez confirmed the estimate to the Johnstown Republic on Wednesday and said it is based on costs associated with previous Town elections.
No recall election has been scheduled. The Town Clerk is currently reviewing 559 signatures submitted by recall organizers to determine whether the petition contains at least 490 valid signatures from registered Johnstown electors. The cost estimate would become relevant only if the petition advances through the required review process and a recall election is ultimately ordered.
Johnstown’s 2026 budget includes $35,000 for election expenses, matching the upper end of Martinez’s estimate. The Town’s election information also states that special elections may be held throughout the year at the direction of the Town Council, while regular municipal elections are held in April of even-numbered years.
Duncan publicly referenced the estimate Wednesday after the recall committee submitted its petitions, writing that “The Town Clerk has estimated that a special recall election could cost Johnstown taxpayers $30,000–$35,000.” He also said that if the petition is determined sufficient, he intends to exercise legal rights available to challenge its sufficiency “where the facts and law support doing so.”
Under C.R.S. § 31-4-503, a registered municipal elector may file a written protest after a recall petition is filed, and state law provides procedures for reviewing the petition’s sufficiency. The statute requires the municipal clerk to issue an initial written sufficiency determination by the close of business on the fifth business day after filing unless a protest has already been filed.
The submission of 559 signatures does not itself trigger a recall election. If at least 490 signatures are determined valid and the petition ultimately remains sufficient through the applicable review process, the matter could then move toward an election. Until that happens, the $30,000 to $35,000 figure remains an estimate rather than an actual Town expenditure.
The Republic previously reported on the filing and review process in “Johnstown Mayor Recall Petition Submitted With 559 Signatures.” and examined the underlying recall allegations and Town records in “Records Complicate Key Claims Behind Recall Effort Against Johnstown Mayor Michael Duncan.”
