DILLON – Town leaders’ refusal to reconsider a longstanding practice of letting a Christian church use the for Sunday prayers has hurled the town into a national storm over worship in public facilities. They now face potential lawsuits from pressure groups. attorneys are demanding an end to any preferential treatment for the .
The rival sent a countervailing letter urging continued use, warning that recent decisions favor greater mixing of church and state. Town staffers hit with multiplying requests from a diversity of religious groups to rent the amphitheater had proposed to shut down access by all outside groups and allow only town-sponsored events such as rock concerts. But town council members on June 11 rejected that approach and voted 5-1 to allow continued use by the church.
Two members derided Dillon’s Denver-based contract attorney for creating roadblocks after she raised constitutional concerns. Kelly resigned the next day. The drama lit up chat — commenters decried “Christian privilege” — and led to a special meeting Wednesday night where town leaders faced a cacophony from residents.
Then leaders accepted advice from a new attorney and back-tracked, temporarily prohibiting the use of the amphitheater by all groups until leaders set a legally defensible policy. “There needs to be a separation of church and state. We cannot favor one denomination over another,” town manager Nathan Johnson said in an interview.
“Now with the popularity of the ven.
