Conservancy District’s lack of transparency troubling
Dear Editor:
The issues of water security for our community are too important to be decided behind closed doors.
As a fiscally conservative citizen and owner of a local business and of water rights, I wonder what other Rio Blanco county citizens think about the lack of transparency and access to Rio Blanco Water Conservancy meetings. In addition, how do they view the Conservancy’s claim in a recent press release that a sudden call on the White River was executed with “numerous discussions and public meetings” despite no one I know can recall reading or hearing of such a public meeting prior to the call on the river.
The Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District just received $4 million of countywide money to start the permitting process. However, there has been no availability for the public or the media to attend meetings virtually, no public notices of the board meetings, and no recording of meetings for public record despite easily available technology.
Requests for minutes and budgets must be made with the Colorado Open Records Law instead of being made available online, as so many of our local publicly funded government agencies provide.
Ranchers watering their livestock from irrigation ditches should be especially concerned as this on-going call may impact their ability to overwinter their animals.
Should this lack of transparency be even more troubling after this same agency received a check for the full amount of $4 million of taxpayer money, which did not go through the normal CCTIF trust fund process?
Other community agencies were not invited to apply for these funds, the process for requesting funds laid out by prior commissioners was not followed, and the $4 million grant was listed in the county budget under “Grant” until attentive citizens called it to notice.
Moving forward, the question is: what monitoring and follow-up is available for interested citizens to know how the funds are being spent?
Greater transparency will go a long way in addressing this question. Is it reasonable to hope the Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District will step forward and provide access to its meetings and greater detail about a need (and timing) for this call, as well as other decisions (for example, how do we know the 35% reduction of power production claimed, stems from lack of water or management issues).
What could be done? Providing Zoom access, meeting notices in our local newspaper with an agenda, recording meetings, and linking minutes and budgets on the Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District website (which until recently posted the wrong night for their board meetings) would go a long way toward building greater public trust.
Deirdre Macnab
Hwy 64, Rio Blanco County
Ratepayer, Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District
Colorado Gives Day is Dec. 6
Dear Editor:
Colorado Gives Day, Dec. 6, provides a great opportunity to support Colorado nonprofits of your choice registered with them – including many from our community.
Early giving started on Nov. 1. Community First and its partner, First Bank, have generously provided an amazing $1.4 million incentive fund which is proportionately shared by all nonprofits receiving donations.
Colorado Gives Day, with the support of Community First and First Bank, is a wonderful giving event which rewards nonprofits and strengthens communities.
If you’re inclined and able, you can easily participate by going to ColoradoGives.org and following the prompts.
Thank you for your consideration of our local nonprofits.
Mary Strang,
President
Meeker Education Foundation Board
Thoughts expressed on opinion pages are exclusively those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Herald Times. You are welcome to submit signed letters on matters of local interest to [email protected], mail to PO Box 720, Meeker, CO 81641 or drop off at 304 4th St., Meeker. there is no charge.
Due to space constraints, please keep submissions 500 words or less.
