The Lakewood, Colorado City Council voted to approve new campaign finance rules October 14. The new ordinance caps campaign donations at $2,500 per person for council candidates and $5,000 for mayoral candidates. Additionally, cash and in-kind donations will be treated the same; together they cannot exceed the limits.

Other amendments to the ordinance require LLCs making political donations of more than $100 to disclose their members.

The ordinance also addresses complaints against candidates. The deadline to file a complaint has been changed from 180 days after the alleged violation to 120 days after the violation.

Finally, the ordinance outlines the threshold or point at which a person interested in running for an elected position becomes a candidate. Declaring candidacy, receiving a donation, or making a campaign-related expenditure all trigger the change in status.

City Attorney Tim Cox confirmed the changes will have no effect on the current election and will not be implemented until April 2014.

Photo of the Lakewood Civic Center by Jeffrey Beall on Wikimedia Commons.