RIFLE — City Council approved an $80,000 grant to the Rifle Community Foundation with a new requirement that every dollar benefit Rifle residents directly, awarded a three-year weed spray contract, and corrected two clerical budget errors at its May 6 regular meeting — all by unanimous vote. Two residents pressed the council on speeding in residential neighborhoods, the state of code enforcement, and whether the police department has what it needs to keep pace with a growing city.
Before the regular session, council met in a 6 p.m. workshop and received the city’s first-quarter 2026 financial update from Finance Director Scott Rust. Sales tax collections through March 31 ran $121,081, or 3.19 percent, ahead of the same period in 2025, putting the city on pace to meet or exceed its budgeted 3 percent growth target. Council also discussed a potential rail spur project on the UMTRA property near the wastewater plant on the west end of town — a preliminary conversation with no action taken.
The Community Foundation vote drew the most discussion. The city funds the Rifle Community Foundation entirely from general fund sales tax revenue — $80,000 per year — and the foundation distributes that money to local nonprofits. City Manager Patrick Waller told the council the foundation’s coverage area runs from Parachute to Newcastle, raising the question of whether Rifle tax dollars were consistently reaching Rifle residents. Council approved the purchase order with a new condition attached: all funds must go to nonprofits with a direct benefit to citizens of Rifle. The foundation will return each year with a report showing council exactly where the money went.
Mayor Clint Hostettler sits on the foundation board as the city’s representative. The city also plans to help with administrative infrastructure, including hosting grant applications on its own website to ease the burden on the volunteer board. The vote was 7-0.
Council then awarded a three-year, $119,155 contract to MountainSide Services Inc. for weed spraying across 26 city-owned locations, including parks, grounds, facilities, and the cemetery. MountainSide was the only company to submit a bid and held the previous contract. This year’s cost of $38,975 came in $25 under the $39,000 budgeted. Spraying runs in spring, with select sites receiving a second application in midsummer. The vote was 7-0.
Following a public hearing, council approved Resolution No. 14, Series of 2026, correcting clerical errors in two 2025 supplemental appropriation resolutions — No. 18 and No. 27 of 2025. Rust discovered he had transposed revenue figures while compiling the supplementals during the year-end close process and brought the matter forward on his own. The city did not overspend its budget; the error lived entirely on the revenue side of the ledger. Council members praised Rust for the voluntary disclosure. The vote was 7-0.
Council advanced Ordinance No. 7, Series of 2026, on first reading, vacating a small section of Fairway Avenue right-of-way at 210 Fairway Avenue. The parcel is a leftover fragment from a 1961 road realignment that the adjacent property owner already uses as part of their lot. Senior Planner Geir Sverdrup said public works and engineering raised no concerns. A second reading is set for May 20.
The consent agenda passed 7-0 and included minutes from the April 15 meeting, a liquor license renewal for Zunu Investments, LLC doing business as Black Bear Liquor, second readings of ordinances annexing and zoning the Sherwin-Williams property into the city’s Community Service Business district, and appointments to the Senior Advisory Board. Council also adopted the 2027 budget preparation calendar, required annually by city charter, setting the first budget workshop for July 15 and the statutory adoption deadline for December 15. The vote was 7-0.
Two residents used public comment to put the council on notice about public safety. A Fairway Avenue resident told council a child was struck by a car near her home on April 20, days after she had contacted Rifle police asking for a traffic presence on the street. She reached out three times before a speed monitor was deployed. She asked the council to consider speed bumps, removable traffic calming devices, or speed cameras modeled on a Glenwood Springs program, and suggested shifting some parks and recreation funding toward residential traffic safety.
A longtime resident raised separate concerns about code enforcement in older neighborhoods — unpermitted structures, vehicles parked on front lawns, and neglected properties — and asked whether the police department had adequate officers, vehicles, and equipment given what he described as a significant increase in population and crime over the past five years.
Mayor Hostettler responded to both speakers, telling the council he does not like to hear that residents contact police and get no response, and encouraging anyone in that situation to call city hall or the mayor directly. He noted that community surveys consistently rank enforcement as a top concern. Hostettler also addressed the recent Xcel Energy near-shutoff of power across western Colorado, calling a potential 12-hour outage in Rifle unacceptable and asking what tools the city has to respond to such an event.
City Manager Waller reported that a congressional designated spending request — covering traffic control barriers and additional police vehicles — was picked up by Sen. John Hickenlooper’s office and is moving to the next step in the appropriations process. The city also presented before a state board in Cañon City for an EIAF grant to fund a south-side lift station; a preliminary decision is expected later this month. The Centennial Park public survey on Rifle Creek improvements closes May 10.
On major construction, utility work on the Park Avenue bridge is nearly complete and the structure is beginning to take shape on the south side; pile-driving noise has stopped. The Penwell water transmission line is fully operational with the old line disconnected, and crews are working along 16th Street before pivoting north on Grand Mesa Drive. The White River Avenue reconstruction from 9th to 16th streets is next; council will consider awarding that contract at the May 20 meeting.
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