Pueblo County commissioners Thursday approved a collective bargaining agreement for the county sheriff’s office more than two years after its employees first voted to form a union.
The agreement follows years of turmoil between union leadership and outgoing Pueblo Sheriff David Lucero, a Democrat, who claimed in a lawsuit that a Colorado law that allows collective bargaining of county employees does not apply to sheriff offices.
Lucero’s lawsuit, filed in December 2024, argued a county sheriff is not included under Colorado’s statutory definition of a county, as sheriff is its own elected constitutional office, and the law does not apply to his agency. A judge dismissed part of the lawsuit in July, and attorneys for the state asked the judge to dismiss the remaining claims earlier in August. Lucero told commissioners Thursday that he intends to direct legal counsel to pull the remaining claims.
“The agreement sufficiently addresses the concerns that led me to seek judicial review, and I do not believe continued litigation is necessary or in the best interests of Pueblo County,” Lucero said. “I also believe ending the litigation is the fiscally responsible decision. There is no reason to continue spending taxpayer dollars litigating issues that we’ve been able to resolve through negotiation.”
County commissioners previously approved at least $45,000 to fund legal counsel for Lucero in the lawsuit.
Lucero lost the Democratic primary in his reelection bid in June to Allen...
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