MEEKER | The Rio Blanco Board of County Commissioners held its regular monthly meeting last week in Meeker, opening to a full room of community members.
Before beginning the agenda, Commissioner Doug Overton paused to recognize and thank veterans in attendance and throughout the community.
“Whether you served in times of peace or conflict, your dedication has left a lasting legacy that continues to inspire all of us. Here, in Rio Blanco County, with deep personal gratitude, we want to thank you for your service. We are proud to stand with you, not just today but every day,” Overton said.
The board then moved into the public comment period. A total of 15 community members spoke, with eight raising concerns about the current library board administration and six voicing support.
Those who spoke against the current administration largely raised concerns about perceived political and religious influence on library governance, a lack of rural representation, and questions about board members’ qualifications and engagement with the library. Those who spoke in support emphasized the need for conservative representation on the board, praised recent fiscal and policy decisions, and expressed confidence in the direction the board is taking the library.
After public comment, the BOCC moved to approve the morning’s agenda. Commissioners removed business line item M, citing math errors, and postponed it until their next meeting. With that change, the board approved the agenda and then the consent agenda, which included the payroll management report for Nov. 7; accounts payable report for October; meeting minutes from Oct. 14 and Oct. 28; the motor vehicle DMV report for October; and the DHS EBT and warrant registers for October.
The board then conducted an interview and appointed Christy Durfee to the Rangely Cemetery Board. Commissioners also approved a contract with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program, which will fund 75% of specific fire and flood recovery projects, including debris removal from roadways, erosion control at the old landfill, flood barrier installation, rock riprap, and seeding and mulching work. The amount totals $7,823,480, with approval contingent on attorney review since the final document had not yet been received.
Commissioner Callie Scritchfield noted that EWP project discussions have been ongoing.
“We can’t start getting reimbursed for any projects that we’re doing until we get this agreement signed. As we all know, Road and Bridge have been very busy trying to keep our roads dug out from underneath. Thankfully things have settled down, but every day that goes by without this agreement, they’re doing work that needs to be done and we’re not able to get reimbursed,” Scritchfield said.
Scritchfield explained that the state will cover an additional 12.5% of costs. Overton added perspective on the local impact.
“This is not going to cover—$10 million seems like a lot, but it’s not going to cover what these ranchers have gone through. We are very thankful that we got the 12.5% from the state. That lowers what the landowners are going to pay, so it’s a good deal,” Overton said.
After the motion passed, the BOCC recessed and reconvened as the Board of Health to meet with Public Health Director Makala Sheridan. The board approved minutes from its June 24, 2025, meeting before hearing a presentation from Troy Huffman, CDPHE retail food safety manager for the state of Colorado.
Huffman provided background on his unit’s responsibilities.
“In the state of Colorado, the state authorization for retail food inspections is designated to the state of Colorado. We directly inspect several of the counties in the area. Our delegated programs by statute include the retail food program, child care facilities and schools. Those are the functions that my unit oversees in this area,” Huffman said.
He explained the state’s updated inspection protocol, which categorizes violations as low, medium, or high and assigns corresponding point values. He emphasized that follow-ups are no longer conducted; instead, full reinspections occur when necessary.
“There are three inspection outcomes,” Huffman said. “A pass inspection, where maybe a few things went wrong but overall they did a good job; a reinspection if there were enough issues that we need to come back; and an immediate closure if conditions are out of control and pose a risk to the public.”
Huffman reported that Rio Blanco County currently has 48 active retail food licenses, including 26 restaurants, eight grocery stores, several convenience stores, mobile units, limited-service facilities and two licensed health care facilities.
In 2025, the state conducted 52 total facility contacts, including 46 routine inspections. Six facilities required reinspections, resulting in a 9% reinspection rate. One closure occurred, representing 2.3% of inspections. Huffman noted that the public can view inspection histories by searching “CDPHE retail food inspections” and selecting Rio Blanco County.
After concluding health department business, the board reconvened as the Board of County Commissioners and approved an agreement for services with Liz Chandler for the recovery manager position.
Later in the meeting, under business line item L, the BOCC discussed an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Meeker Regional Library District and Town of Meeker establishing the trustee appointment process.
Overton said he would prefer to meet directly with the town and library board before taking action.
“I want to have a face-to-face meeting with the library board and town before I do this. I’d like to talk to them instead of going through lawyers,” Overton said.
Scritchfield supported the idea. “If there’s a way that we can all sit down and have a conversation…” she said, before Overton added, “Talk about what we’re doing and why we’re doing.”
Commissioner Jennifer O’Hearon also expressed concerns.
“I have a lot of questions on it. I had a lot of confusion, especially with that section that was taken out by the town. To me it wasn’t very straightforward. There are some sections in there that I just have questions about, and I think it’s a good idea for all of us to get in the room and have those conversations to make sure that we’re all on the same page,” O’Hearon said.
The commissioners agreed to continue using their traditional appointment process for the time being. Scritchfield said, “I say we just continue on, and we work on the interviews next month and move forward just like we normally would.”
County Attorney Don Steerman added, “If there’s no action to change it, then we work on what we’ve been doing.”
The BOCC then entered executive session under CRS 24-6-302(b) to confer with the county attorney regarding potential litigation involving the old Meeker landfill; CRS 24-6-402(b) for legal advice concerning budget and finance department hiring matters; and CRS 24-6-402(b) regarding the clerk and recorder’s authority over staff and office decisions.