All officials resigned, the town was "officially closed"
The last three council members remaining in Hartman resigned after a violent brawl. The state allocated one million dollars to improve infrastructure, but there is no official to sign the contracts. The authorities decided: The only solution – to declare the "town abandoned".
Imagine a situation where you wake up in the morning and discover that there is no longer a council, no mayor, and no one to even take care of your tap water. This is exactly what happened in the small town of Hartman in Colorado, USA. The town, which had a total of about 30 residents, was officially declared abandoned after all of its government officials threw in the towel and resigned one after another.
The administrative collapse of Hartman did not happen in one day, but the breaking point was particularly dramatic. The last three council members remaining in office resigned in January, just one day after a violent brawl broke out between four women at the end of a council meeting. Pam Packer, one of the council members who resigned, explained the move in an interview with the local newspaper, The Denver Post:
"Our safety was more important than having a council."
But Hartman's problem is not just political – it is existential. For many long months, residents have been forced to boil their water because the town's infrastructure is in a state of advanced decay. Jessie Simmons, a local resident and landowner, filed a formal request to declare the town abandoned. She reported that there has been no chlorine in the water for over a month, it is not fit for drinking, and it smells terrible.
Today, US media reported: The 116-year-old town has ceased to exist. The great absurdity is that the money to fix the infrastructure actually exists. The state allocated grants of more than one million dollars to improve the water system, but since there is no official in the town authorized to sign contracts or approve expenses, the money remains stuck and the residents are left without clean water.
Colorado Deputy Secretary of State Andrew Klein explained in the abandonment order that there was no choice but to take this extreme step:
"Failing to declare the town of Hartman abandoned would leave the residents in a legal limbo under a health risk, without the authority to conduct business, hold elections, or repair the water infrastructure. Abandonment is the only legal mechanism in Colorado law that creates a path for the area's residents to receive clean water."
What will happen now? According to the state's order, all streets and alleys that belonged to the town will be transferred to the ownership of another county. The critical water infrastructure will also be transferred to the county's responsibility, which is expected to transfer it to an entity that can finally provide potable water to the 30 residents left behind. The story of Hartman ends not only because of the water, but because there is simply no one left to manage it. A representative of the Department of Local Affairs testified that since 2022, they have visited the town more than 30 times in an attempt to help with budget management, elections, and the recurring resignations, but to no avail. Now, without a governing body, without officials, and without the ability to hold elections, Hartman officially becomes a chapter in history.
