The Alamosa County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on May 13, 2026, at the Alamosa County Services Center. Chair Vern Heersink, Vice-Chair Arlan Van Ry, and Commissioner Lori Laske were present, along with County Attorney Jason Kelly, County Administrator Roni Wisdom, and Deputy County Clerk Jamie Greeman. The board opened with an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved the agenda and minutes, approved bills and obligations, and passed a consent agenda and ceremonial agenda before moving to public hearings.
Consent and Ceremonial Agendas
The board approved a consent agenda that included a SLV Regional Airport entitlement transfer agreement with Yampa Valley Regional Airport, a RETAC grant application signature form, a public health tobacco contract, JBBS Contract Amendment #7, an SLV Regional Airport Apron Phase 1 grant application, and an Alamosa County DHS and State of Colorado TANF MOU. No public comment was offered during the Presentation From The Public slot.
The ceremonial agenda included a Building Safety Month proclamation, Veterans Transportation Driver Awards, and a National Police Week proclamation.
DA Term Limits Question Headed to November Ballot
The board voted unanimously to place a question before Alamosa County voters in November asking whether to eliminate term limits for the district attorney of Colorado’s 12th Judicial District. The DA is currently capped at two terms.
All six counties in the 12th Judicial District must pass resolutions with identical ballot language for the measure to appear on the ballot; several other counties have already acted. The ballot question asks voters whether to eliminate the term limit, allowing the DA to serve an indefinite number of terms. Kelly said commissioners are restricted under campaign finance law from using county funds or their official positions to promote the measure once it is adopted.
A commissioner said the question is worth putting to voters because rural counties sometimes struggle to attract qualified attorneys when effective district attorneys are forced out by term limits. The board voted a second time — also unanimously — to formally declare its support for the measure, a step Kelly said allows the board to issue a public statement of support before campaign finance restrictions apply.
Medicaid Restructuring and Federal Work Requirements
DHS Director Catherine Salazar updated the board on advancing state restructuring legislation and incoming federal eligibility rules. House Bill 26-1459 passed a Senate committee the evening before the meeting and was headed to a full Senate floor vote. The bill reorganizes human services delivery statewide into no more than 12 regional cohorts starting July 1, 2028. A third-party facilitator will guide the process; counties secured a seat at the table to help select that vendor.
Proposals that would have created shared scanning and statewide call center services were dropped from the final bill. Fraud investigation will be the only statewide shared service. Salazar said counties came together quickly after state departments announced restructuring plans in October and November 2025, and the legislation reflects that collective negotiating.
On the federal side, HR-1 rules will require Medicaid recipients between ages 18 and 60 to recertify twice a year and demonstrate participation in school, volunteer work, or employment beginning October 1, 2026. Salazar said she expects some recipients will drop off who simply do not respond to recertification notices. Approximately 47 percent of county residents are on Medicaid, a share Salazar said sustains local hospitals.
The state’s payment error rate stood at 6.06 percent as of December, just above the 6 percent federal threshold above which counties face cost-sharing penalties. Salazar attributed roughly a third of the error rate to the state’s aging CBMS technology, which she said is over 20 years old and has been repeatedly patched rather than rebuilt.
TANF Allocation Sale Approved
The board voted unanimously to authorize the sale of up to 25,000 in unused TANF allocation to Arapahoe County, repeating a transaction completed last year. Because Alamosa County must pay its full maintenance-of-effort obligation on its TANF allocation regardless of spending, selling unused funds reduces that obligation by an estimated 4,000 to 8,000. Arapahoe County regularly runs over its allocation.
Housing Study Recommends Land Use Code Overhaul
A CU Denver graduate student in urban and regional planning presented findings from a capstone research project on housing affordability in Alamosa County, produced in partnership with Land Use Director Richard Hubler. The study recommends a comprehensive update to the county’s land use and development code, last fully revised in 2009.
Key findings: new residential construction is out of reach for most residents, partly due to well and septic costs; a third of county households consist of one person but fewer than 5 percent of the housing stock is studio or one-bedroom; manufactured housing is the dominant affordable type in the valley; and workforce housing for agricultural workers is a pressing unmet need.
Code-based recommendations included updating definitions to align with state law, reorganizing the code by zoning district for easier navigation, reducing setbacks and minimum lot widths where central water and sewer are available, streamlining parking requirements, allowing manufactured homes by right in all residential zones, lowering minimum building footprints for common interest communities, reducing the minimum lot size for manufactured home parks from four acres, and allowing accessory dwelling units to be rented to non-family members.
On the policy side, the study urged the county to file a Proposition 123 commitment, which would unlock state affordable housing funding and preserve SLV Housing Coalition operations in unincorporated Alamosa County. Additional recommendations included waiving permit fees for small-scale projects such as ADUs and factory-built homes with pre-approved plans, supporting local small-scale developers through technical assistance, and coordinating regionally with neighboring counties on land preservation and housing.
Commissioner Laske thanked the researcher for delivering concrete recommendations. Commissioner Van Ry said the report was strong but noted that reducing parking requirements is not workable in the valley, where vehicle ownership is high. Hubler will distribute the full report to commissioners.
Home Daycare Permit Approved Near Alamosa
The board voted unanimously to approve Special Use Permit 26-01 for Brittany Quintana to operate a home-based daycare at 6417 County Road 7 South, approximately one mile west of the city of Alamosa. County code requires a special use permit for home-based daycares serving five or more children in a residential manufactured home zone.
The Planning Commission heard the case April 8 and voted unanimously to recommend approval with seven conditions covering fire extinguishers, hardwired interconnected fire alarms, a self-closing rear gate latch, a six-foot perimeter fence, state licensure, and standard permit continuity terms. Four of the seven conditions were met before the board hearing. The remaining prior-operation condition — state licensure — was pending; Quintana said she had an appointment with the state licensing agency scheduled for the following week.
The Division of Water Resources confirmed the existing augmented well can support the proposed use. Regional Environmental Health Director Gary Bruder clarified that home-based daycares fall under state jurisdiction only, regulated by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. One member of the public — a former employer of Quintana — spoke in support. No other public comment was received in person or online.
Commissioner Laske said she appreciated Quintana for going through the proper permitting process and noted the community need for daycare options.
Senior Volunteer Program Reports Growth
Nancy Harris, director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, and outreach coordinator Mike Reisinger updated the board on the program’s growth since its 2021 launch in Alamosa County. The federally funded AmeriCorps Seniors program, hosted by Denver nonprofit Spark, now has approximately 55 to 56 active volunteers partnered with 15 local nonprofits. Volunteers logged more than 4,000 reported hours in 2025, valued at more than 58,000 at the standard rate of 8.74 per hour. The four-county program budget is approximately 34,000 annually, with 0,000 spent on mileage reimbursements for rural volunteers.
The program connects adults 55 and over with volunteer opportunities in food and nutrition support, environmental stewardship, and nonprofit capacity building. Harris said a formal partnership with a government agency is possible through a memorandum of understanding. A commissioner asked about using the program to recruit veteran transportation drivers; Harris said that arrangement could be formalized.
Orphan Parcel Tax Write-Off Approved
The board approved Resolution 2026-G-6, authorizing a write-off of delinquent taxes on a landlocked, unbuildable parcel with no taxpayer of record since 1970. The property was deeded to an individual in the 1970s whose identity cannot be confirmed through modern records. The parcel’s assessed value was recently adjusted from 5,000 to ,650 to reflect its unbuildable status. Staff will list the parcel on the Public Surplus platform and notify adjacent landowners, with the goal of selling it to a neighboring property owner who could absorb it through a replat. Kelly said commissioners should expect additional resolutions in coming weeks on similar orphan parcels.
Airport Now Fully Under County Control
Kelly reported the county completed its FAA settlement agreement on May 7, ending the federal oversight period and placing the San Luis Valley Regional Airport fully under county authority. The airport manager submitted proposed changes to the Airport Compliance Manual the following day. Kelly said he will follow up with the city on a separate airport governance matter that was on hold pending the agreement’s completion.
Board and Staff Updates
Commissioner Van Ry reported the county connected La Puente with local parole officers after concerns arose that people on parole were listing La Puente’s address without the organization’s knowledge. He said three parole officers cover the entire San Luis Valley with approximately 90 cases. Van Ry said Advantage Treatment Center passed a recent audit and is providing structured transitional programming for parolees as a condition of parole. Wisdom said the county has a meeting scheduled with Centric regarding a potential mechanic position.
Commissioner Laske said she is organizing a 2027 trip to Alaska for Alamosa senior citizens. On economic development: a neon sign manufacturer is coming to the area; the CDOT action plan is on hold until year-end for additional stakeholder engagement; the Early Learning Center is set to open in September; Centennial Park is being redesigned; the city is beginning discussions on fines for blighted properties; and Alamosa will serve as an additional polling site with up to three sites planned — the county building, the city, and Adams State University if needed. Laske also said she plans to resign as chair of the opioid settlement funds committee while remaining as the county’s representative.
A work session is scheduled for the following Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. The board adjourned.
Support Independent Local Journalism — High Country Advocate was created as a real alternative to regional media that too often silences dissenting voices while taking sides in the political struggle. Producing in-depth, unflinching reporting like this series and others is expensive: servers, editing, research time, and legal review all add up quickly. If these articles have informed you or given you new perspective, please consider supporting HCA with a paid subscription — every subscriber helps keep this reporting strong and independent. 