State declares tiny southeast Colorado town abandoned after infighting, resignations and a water crisis

Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post on Jul 29, 2026

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The beleaguered town of Hartman is no more.

The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said Wednesday that it had approved a resident’s petition for abandonment — effectively transferring all town business and assets to Prowers County.

Hartman, a tiny community of 30 people in southeast Colorado, had been stuck in a legal limbo with no analog in recent state history since all of its elected officials resigned from their posts earlier this year. That occurred amid petty squabbles, fraud allegations and a physical altercation following a Board of Trustees meeting.

With no government, the town cannot hold elections or address a deepening crisis surrounding its water supply. The town has been on a boil order for the past year, and its water tower has been in need of serious repairs for years.

The imbroglio reached the state Capitol, where lawmakers in this year’s session passed a bill specifically written to address Hartman’s unique situation. That legislation, Senate Bill 157, makes it easier for residents and counties to declare a town abandoned — and for the state to assist dissolved municipalities with failing water systems.

"Importantly, not determining that the town of Hartman is abandoned... would leave the residents in further legal limbo during a health hazard, with no authority to conduct business, hold elections, or fix their water infrastructure so that clean water can be delivered to the town residents," the state's 15-page order states. "Abandonment is the only legal mechanism in Colorado statute that creates an avenue for residents of the area to receive clean water."

Prowers County will now assume control over all streets in Hartman, along with all town-owned property, including its water infrastructure. The county, then, will transfer control of the water system to a water operator.

Even in its abandonment, Hartman residents couldn't agree on the best path forward.

Multiple people in town objected to the process, with one saying Hartman "is not a failed town, but that Hartman is a town that was failed by the systems designed to protect it," according to the state's order.

The state, in its order, overruled the residents' objections.

As The Denver Post reported in a March story, townspeople previously compared their situation to the Hatfields and McCoys, two Appalachian families with a convoluted, generations-long feud. Elected officials regularly accused their predecessors of misusing town funds. Others said they sometimes went years without holding elections.

The town's combative reputation made nearby authorities — including multiple water operators — wary of stepping in to help.

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