The Gunnison County Board of County Commissioners approved more than $16 million in April expenditures, authorized two land use applications, and voted to support a pair of Trout Unlimited watershed restoration projects at its May 19 regular meeting in Gunnison.
The board approved the April 2026 voucher report totaling $6,265,938 and authorized a cash transfer of $9,791,875, both unanimously and without discussion. The board also accepted the April purchase card report with no discussion.
Before the main BOCC session, commissioners convened three subsidiary bodies. Sitting as the Gunnison County Local Liquor Licensing Authority, they approved four consent items: annual license renewals for Harmels Ranch Resort, temporary operating licenses for Harmels Operations LLC’s Bites & Brews on the Taylor and Skyhigh Colorado LLC’s Taylor Park Trading Post, and a special event liquor permit for the Gunnison River Festival. Sitting as the Gunnison River Valley Local Marketing District, they approved a $35,000 annual agreement with the Marble Crystal River Chamber of Commerce. Deputy Chief Finance Officer Mark Rozman explained that lodging and dining tax collections for the Marble area had declined between 2023 and 2025 because a new tax district created by the Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District in late 2025 generated a new Gunnison County jurisdiction code, shifting how revenue was reported — and that collections had since returned to historical levels. Sitting as the Gunnison County Housing Authority, the board acknowledged County Manager Matthew Birnie’s signature on an $88,205 property insurance proposal from HAI Group covering housing authority properties.
The board opened its regular session by approving the May 5, 2026 meeting minutes without changes. During scheduling, commissioners discussed a Planning Commission meeting set for May 21 and confirmed that all three commissioners planned to attend a joint session with Crested Butte on June 15, with a rotating schedule to begin in 2027.
The consent agenda, approved unanimously, included ten items spanning airport grants, human services contracts, a $60,000 professional services agreement with Insuseal Inc. for the GV-HEAT program, a $819,564 professional services agreement with Woolpert for the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, and a coroner’s workspace rental agreement at $8,400.
Commissioners approved a lot cluster application (LUC-26-00013) from Basin Real Estate Holdings LLC combining two lots in the Buckhorn area, allowing duplex construction across a shared lot line without setback variances. They also approved a townhome plat (LUC-26-00021) for Brush Creek Townhomes Phase 3, the third phase of a multi-year residential development on lots along Brush Creek. Both passed unanimously.
The board voted unanimously to authorize a letter of support for two Trout Unlimited projects seeking supplemental design funding from the Colorado River District. Jesse Bryan, a Trout Unlimited representative in Gunnison, presented both projects. The Willow Creek project near the Rainbow HOA in Taylor Park would remove an estimated 70,000 cubic yards of mine overburden and restore the stream channel, with construction targeted for 2028 or 2029. The Forest Queen Mill Site project near Lake Irwin would remove tailings from the East Coal Creek watershed, which drains into Coal Creek — Crested Butte’s drinking water source. The Crested Butte Wildfire Ready Action Plan identified the drainage as a high post-fire debris flow risk. Commissioners noted both projects align with the county’s water quality goals.
Rozman also presented a new analytical framework for the March 2026 sales and local marketing district tax report, separating “reporting date” — when the state transmits revenue — from “filing date,” which reflects when the underlying sales occurred. Rozman said late filers can make year-over-year comparisons misleading, and the new approach allows the county to identify accounts that have not reported and escalate follow-up. He noted a sharp year-to-date decline in lodging revenues and amusement and entertainment revenues for 2026 compared to 2025.
Treasurer Teresa Brown presented the April 2026 Treasurer’s Report remotely. The board accepted the report and authorized the chair’s signature unanimously.
During unscheduled public comment, Scott Wagner addressed the board with documents he said showed inconsistent application of the county’s linkage fee exemption process. Wagner said his application for a fee exemption on a building permit was denied because county records listed a post office box in Morrison as his address, despite his stating he has lived in Gunnison County for more than 20 years and registered vehicles and voted here since 2007. He said a separate applicant whose mailing address was in California received approval for the same exemption and asked the board for a written explanation. Commissioners said county attorneys had advised them not to respond on the spot.
A CB South resident addressed the board about a proposed 85-foot cell tower in Red Mountain Park. She said a community survey showed roughly 80 percent of respondents wanted improved cell service, but that only about 42 percent had no concerns about a tower in the park — meaning approximately two-thirds expressed concerns about placing a telecommunications structure in that community space, including visual impact, potential health effects, neighborhood character, and property value impacts. She said the process had lacked sufficient comparison of alternative sites and clarity about decision-making authority. Staff noted that special districts such as fire protection districts are empowered under state statute to make facility decisions independently, with the county holding only a limited location and extent review role — a condition set in state law, not county policy.
Commissioner Puckett Daniels reported on a GRASP Consortium presentation in which the Southwest Colorado Regional Council identified medical transportation infrastructure as among the most significant service gaps in the region. She said House Bill 26-1430, a legislative counterproposal to Initiative 175 on road and bridge funding, passed the state legislature, and that the county would need clarity on Blue Book language before finalizing its public messaging. She also proposed two potential CCI legislative submissions — one to update the Colorado Privacy Act as it applies to local governments and children’s data, and one addressing property tax treatment of former public lands transferred to private ownership — and the board agreed to circulate draft proposals for review ahead of the July 17 CCI deadline.
Commissioner Jonathan Houck reported attending a State of the River event hosted by the Colorado River District and the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, participating in a Tamichi basin water infrastructure tour, attending the Venture Rural Leaders seminar, and engaging in ongoing legislative conversations as the session closed. He also reported that the wildlife crossing subcommittee is preparing an RFP for community engagement consultants, and confirmed that road maintenance in Crested Butte South falls under the Metro District rather than the county.
The board entered executive session under Colorado Revised Statute 24-6-402(4)(b) to receive legal advice and under 24-6-402(4)(e)(I) to determine negotiating positions related to a proposed amended and restated affordable housing deed restriction. Upon returning to open session, commissioners voted unanimously to delegate authority to County Manager Birnie to negotiate and execute the next steps in that transaction.
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