Colorado Springs council fills 9-1-1 board vacancies, confirms Hoffecker as next presiding judge

Colorado Springs City Council unanimously appointed Deputy Chiefs Douglas Trainer and Justin White to the El Paso-Teller County 9-1-1 Authority Board and confirmed Kristen Hoffecker as the next presiding judge of Colorado Springs Municipal Court on July 28.

Trainer and White fill two board vacancies created by resignations. Police Chief Vasquez nominated Trainer, and Fire Chief Royal nominated White. The council appointed both as voting members in 9-0 votes, according to the July 28 council meeting record.

The nine-member authority oversees regional 9-1-1 surcharge revenue, contracts, quality assurance and technical infrastructure for El Paso and Teller counties. It does not answer emergency calls or dispatch responders, according to the authority’s description of its board structure and responsibilities. Colorado Springs appoints three members.

Trainer’s term runs from July 29, 2026, through March 26, 2028. White’s runs from July 29, 2026, through March 27, 2029, according to the authority’s board roster.

The appointments came as the city considered a separate proposal to leave the regional authority and create a city-specific authority in 2027. The proposal would direct Colorado Springs’ 9-1-1 surcharge revenue toward city public-safety needs while maintaining coordination with regional partners. It was not enacted by the July 28 votes. The city estimates Colorado Springs generates about 63% of the regional authority’s surcharge revenue, or roughly $13 million annually, and projects the proposed model could reduce the city’s communications-center contributions by about $4 million annually. The figures are projections, not realized savings, according to the city’s 9-1-1 transition proposal.

Hoffecker will succeed retiring Presiding Judge Hayden W. Kane II, who had served as presiding judge since 2007 and as municipal court administrator since 2014, according to the mayor’s announcement.

Hoffecker has served as a Colorado Springs associate municipal judge since 2016. She also has served as a magistrate judge in Colorado’s Fourth Judicial District and as municipal judge for Calhan, and has worked in municipal, county, district and private legal practice, the mayor’s announcement said.

The council’s meeting record scheduled Hoffecker’s swearing-in for the July 30 City Council breakfast. A later official city announcement said she was sworn in as the new presiding judge.