The Buena Vista Board of Trustees issued a Pride Month proclamation and accepted a right-of-way dedication on Teal Run at their June 23 meeting, drawing public opposition to the proclamation before trustees moved ahead without discussion.
Mayor Libby Fay read the proclamation recognizing June 2026 as Pride Month, citing the contributions of LGBTQ community members to Buena Vista’s civic, cultural, and economic life. Three residents spoke against the action during public comment. One speaker argued the board violated Robert’s Rules of Parliamentary Procedure by not subjecting the proclamation to a multi-month vetting process. A second resident said the proclamation created community division rather than unity. A third questioned whether government bodies should single out specific groups for recognition when many groups go unacknowledged.
The board made no response to the public objections before moving forward.
On the Teal Run item, Planner Carly Croft presented a request to accept dedication of additional right-of-way adjacent to 438 Crossman Avenue as part of an administrative minor subdivision review. The dedication widens the eastern side of Teal Run to bring it closer to town standards for local streets. Applicant Joseph Teichel told the board the dedication was “the right thing to do” even though it wasn’t his preference. Trustees asked whether mature trees in the dedicated strip would be removed; Croft said no road improvements are planned at this time and the town would evaluate tree preservation once a final street design is established. The board accepted the dedication.
During a pre-meeting work session, Planning Director Maria Kotlin briefed trustees on the town’s Proposition 123 affordable housing commitments. Buena Vista received a $144,000 DOLA planning capacity grant in October 2025 and an additional $50,000 incentive for passing its expedited review ordinance. Kotlin said the town is approximately eight units short of its 26-unit affordable housing target and is pursuing a regional memorandum of understanding with Chaffee County to meet the December 2026 deadline. Town Clerk Ed also presented updates on website accessibility compliance and the upcoming November election, in which voters will choose a mayor and three trustees.
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