Lawsuit alleges Estes fire district violated open-meetings law

ESTES PARK — The Estes Valley Voice, described as a “journalist-founded, locally owned digital newsroom”, has sued the Estes Valley Fire Protection District board of directors in Larimer District Court, alleging that it violated Colorado’s Open Records Act and open-meetings law by hiring Paul Capo as fire chief in a closed session on Oct. 9.

According to the Estes Valley Voice, board members discussed Capo’s selection privately during an executive session, only later ratifying the decision in a public meeting without further public discussion.

In a response to a Colorado Open Records Act request,  EVFPD board chair Ryan Bross told Patty Brown, the Voice’s editor and publisher, that “meeting protocol was determined by District legal counsel.”

The case is Estes Valley Voice, PBC and Patty Brown v. The Board of the Estes Fire Protection District, case No. 2024-cv-30968

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