The Rio Blanco County Board of County Commissioners met Aug. 4 for its regular meeting in Meeker, with all three commissioners present.
Commissioners approved the agenda, the July 17 and July 31 payroll management reports and the July 21 meeting minutes. No members of the public attended the public comment period in person or online.
The board then considered a previously tabled contract with Taylor Consulting LLC for child welfare casework services for the Rio Blanco County Department of Human Services.
Commissioner Doug Overton initially moved to approve the contract, but Chair Callie Scritchfield suggested tabling it again.
“Because we don’t have some pieces of it,” Scritchfield said.
The motion died for lack of a second, and commissioners voted to table the contract until Aug. 18.
The board then held a public hearing on the Avery Minor Subdivision, PSUB-26-0003.
County Surveyor Leif Joy said the applicant proposed creating five lots from a 26-acre parcel near County Road 115 above Lake Avery, officially known as Big Beaver Reservoir.
The lots would range from slightly more than 2 acres to 9.6 acres.
Joy said the county sent referral requests to various agencies and received one substantive response, from the Colorado Division of Water Resources.
In a June 11 letter, the division said that because the White River is over appropriated, wells previously approved for the property would now require an augmentation plan before they could be drilled.
“That doesn’t stop the subdivision in that Rio Blanco County allows wells and/or cisterns for potable water supply,” Joy said. “In this case they can do cisterns and probably will, but I believe the applicant will move forward with the well drilling once this augmentation plan gets put in place.”
Joy said there were no negative referral responses. The Rio Blanco County Planning Commission voted 4-0 on July 9 to recommend approval, with the condition that a note be added to the plat regarding potable water supplied by cistern.
No public comments were offered during the hearing.
Betty Kracht, lead water commissioner for District 43, Upper White River, within Division 6, participated by phone and provided additional information about the White River’s over appropriation and its effect on well permits.
“Wells are becoming a lot more difficult and tricky situation,” Kracht said. “John did go out and get well permits for each of these lots prior to doing the subdivision. Now that we’re subdividing it, we cannot use those wells for each of those lots because it’s a new subdivision.”
Kracht said the property owner could maintain the existing well permits without drilling while the county works toward an augmentation plan that could allow the wells to be drilled.
She said the White River became over appropriated in May 2025, meaning subdivisions created after that point must account for augmentation water.
Commissioners closed the hearing and approved Resolution 2026-22, approving the Avery Minor Subdivision.
The board then held a second public hearing on rezoning the subdivision, PRZ-26-0001.
Joy said the applicant was seeking to rezone the property from agricultural to leisure recreational.
“By land use regulation, anything under 35 acres, when subdivided, we need to rezone it,” Joy said. “We have to rezone it to something that will be suitable for the use, which is residential. Leisure recreational or rural residential — in this case, leisure recreational.”
Scritchfield asked Joy to explain the designation.
Joy said leisure recreational zoning limits residential use to seasonal or temporary occupancy rather than allowing a property to be used as a permanent residence.
“You can’t live there permanently 24/7, 360,” Joy said. “You can only live there seasonally or in a time frame.”
Overton questioned why the property would not simply be rezoned residential.
“Why wouldn’t you just rezone it to residential?” Overton asked.
Joy said some properties in the county, including portions of the Elk Creek Planned Unit Development, use leisure recreational zoning to prevent them from becoming permanent residences.
The board also approved a letter of support for Pioneers Medical Center’s Rural Hospital Transformation Program application.
Commissioners ratified a letter of support and the Rio Blanco County Clerk and Recorder’s submission of an Electronic Recording Technology Board grant application requesting $21,798.60 for recording system maintenance, public access services and replacement of scanning equipment.
The board also considered a request from Colorado Northwestern Community College to remove airport management duties from a Sept. 16, 2024, intergovernmental agreement between Rio Blanco County and CNCC for management of the Rangely Airport, 4V0.
County Attorney Rose Pugliese told commissioners she had information regarding the matter and requested an executive session.
Before entering executive session, commissioners approved Resolution 2026-24, adopting the Rio Blanco County Housing Needs Assessment.
During commissioner updates, Overton reported attending a directors meeting and a coffee talk on water with the county’s water commissioners.
O’Hearon reported attending directors meetings and meetings with the Department of Human Services and public health director.
Scritchfield reported attending Club 20, helping with fair setup and participating in a leadership workshop.
Commissioners then entered executive session to receive legal advice concerning airport operations.
After returning to open session, the board revisited CNCC’s airport management request and voted to remove the item from consideration.
With no further business, commissioners adjourned.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for Aug. 18 at the Annex Building in Rangely.