Town Declared ‘Abandoned’ After Every Official Resigns Over Water Crisis, Fraud Scandal

News admin August 1, 2026 0 Comments

Town Declared ‘Abandoned’ After Every Official Resigns Over Water Crisis, Fraud Scandal

A tiny Colorado town plagued by years of political infighting, failing infrastructure, and contaminated drinking water has officially been declared abandoned after its local government effectively ceased to exist.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold declared Hartman abandoned this week after the town’s last elected officials resigned in January, leaving the community without a functioning government or a way to address its deteriorating water system.

The declaration came in response to a resident’s petition seeking state intervention so county officials could take over Hartman’s struggling water infrastructure.

“The Town of Hartman had lacked chlorine in its water for over one month and the water was not potable and ‘smells horrible,’ the resident’s petition stated, according to the New York Post. Residents have remained under a boil-water advisory since February.

Although Hartman previously received roughly $1 million in grants to repair its water system, the money went unused because the town no longer had officials authorized to oversee the project.

“The town does not have a board of trustees or town clerk, is unable to hold an election, and owns and operates water infrastructure needed to treat and deliver water to residents,” the petition added.

After meeting with residents, Deputy Secretary of State Andrew Kline concluded that declaring Hartman abandoned was the only legal path forward.

“Abandonment is the only legal mechanism in Colorado statute that creates an avenue for residents of the area to receive clean water,” Kline said.

The collapse of Hartman’s government followed years of increasingly bitter political feuds among residents.

Former Mayor Catherine Ferenandez told the Denver Post that longstanding family rivalries had consumed the town.

“You had families fighting with each other because they thought this person was going to do the town evil, they thought that person wasn’t going to work well with the town, and it was a complete mess,” Fernandez said.

Disputes spilled into local newspapers, social media, lawsuits, and contentious trustee meetings that sometimes required a sheriff’s deputy to keep the peace.

Residents also accused town leaders of years of financial mismanagement and government dysfunction.

Barbara Crimond claimed in a letter to the editor that town officials engaged in misconduct ranging from failing to complete required audits to obstructing elections and neglecting critical infrastructure projects.

Tensions reached a breaking point in January when four women, most in their 60s and 70s, became involved in a physical altercation during a board meeting over the town’s future. Hartman’s remaining three trustees resigned the following day, leaving the town without a functioning government.

Hartman has roughly 30 residents, no businesses other than a post office and town hall, and, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, more than 93% of its residents live below the poverty line.

With the abandonment declaration now in place, the Prowers County Board of County Commissioners will assume responsibility for the town’s roads and water.