The Town of Buena Vista Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at 7:00 PM at the Community Center, 715 E. Main Street, Buena Vista, Colorado.
The meeting was dominated by budget finalizations, as trustees eliminated the town’s remaining funding for the Chaffee County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and redirected support toward the county’s co-response mental health program after an intense debate over the EDC’s role and transparency, particularly concerning its long-running engagement with the Kroger/City Market project.
Budget Final Prioritizations and EDC Policy Conflict
The Board finalized key aspects of the Public Support budget through a series of motions, leading to the elimination of funding for the EDC.
- EDC Funding: Cut from $15,000 in the 2025 and baseline 2026 budgets to $0 in the 2026 public support prioritization. The funding was unanimously eliminated after trustees questioned whether supporting the EDC is a core responsibility of the town, especially when compared with direct resident services.
- Co-Response Funding: Increased to $32,500. Trustees redirected the former EDC allocation and trimmed several other public support lines, including items such as fireworks, BV Strong, and other community-event or grant lines, to help reach this amount, arguing that funding co-response clearly falls under the town’s responsibility for public safety and behavioral health.
- Environmental Funding: A $2,500 line item was created in the Water Fund (rather than Public Support) to be used for due diligence and investigation related to Well 4 and potential heavy metal contamination in the River Park area.
The increase to $32,500 for the co-response program supports a Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office team that pairs mental health clinicians with deputies to respond to residents in crisis, with the level of coverage in Buena Vista tied to how much local funding the town commits.
The Kroger/City Market Policy Conflict
The debate over the EDC’s funding was largely driven by its involvement with the City Market development, specifically raising concerns about transparency and policy alignment.
The EDC is a county-wide nonprofit that works on business retention, recruitment, and entrepreneurship support, funded by a mix of public and private dollars from across Chaffee County. Trustees questioned whether the organization was working to align the wishes of Kroger with the town’s goals or vice versa, particularly in light of the town’s push to limit gas stations as part of the proposed City Market plan.
Trustees also referenced past financial disagreements, including a prior EDC position that the town should assume a $1.6 million expense related to the Kroger transaction, which the town opposed. Some trustees said the EDC had advocated against tax measures that help fund town services, raising the question of whether Buena Vista was effectively paying an outside group to work at cross-purposes with town policy.
During public comment, EDC board chair Carlin Walsh and executive director Deborah Cameron urged the town to maintain its current funding level, highlighting recent support for local businesses such as Peaks Precast and Skyline Tents, involvement in the Amazon project, and ongoing work with the City Market proposal as examples of direct economic development benefits in Buena Vista.
Other Key Approved Actions
- Tumbleweed Tavern Liquor License: The Board conditionally approved a Tavern Liquor License for The Tumbleweed LLC (dba The Tumbleweed), located at 522 Antero Circle, Units #2 and #3, in the former missing-sock laundromat space on the south side of town. Owners Leslie and Peter Hilton Hinga described the Tumbleweed as a walkable neighborhood bar and “third place” for residents of the Farm, Collegiate Heights, and nearby businesses, with a 1970s basement-bar aesthetic, light bar food, and an outdoor patio facing Mount Princeton, and the approval is conditioned upon completing the required change-of-use process and meeting fire and building code requirements.
- Affordable Housing Expedited Review: The Board unanimously approved Ordinance No. 14, Series 2025, to implement a fast-track, 90-day administrative review process for qualifying affordable housing projects in order to comply with Colorado Proposition 123, including shifting some major site plan approvals to administrative review with neighborhood meetings and an appeal route to the Board of Trustees.
- Water Conservation Landscaping: The Board unanimously approved Ordinance No. 15, Series 2025, to comply with Colorado Senate Bill 24-005, placing limits on non-functional turf, including most artificial turf, primarily in new commercial and institutional development in order to conserve water while clarifying acceptable landscape materials.
- Water Court Representative: The Board approved Resolution No. 73, Series 2025, authorizing the Town’s water attorney to file the Bray Allen Water Court change case application.
- Public Hearing Continuation: The public hearing on the 2026 Budget Final Prioritizations was continued to Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
- Board Reappointments: The Board approved the reappointments of Joy Dupre and Jennifer Wright as regular voting members of the Beautification Advisory Board.
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