MEEKER | The Meeker Board of Trustees held a regular meeting last week, covering the town’s draft 2026 budget, a water easement agreement, and security system upgrades at Town Hall.
Trustees Charles Day, Jessica Browning, Jeff Madison, Kathleen Sizemore, and Mayor Pro Tem Christopher Lockwood attended the meeting. Trustee Amanda Smith and Mayor Travis Day were excused; Day later joined the discussion by phone.
The board began the meeting by approving the agenda and reviewing the minutes from the previous month. Before approval, Trustee Jeff Madison requested revisions to clarify acronyms used in the document. He pointed out that terms such as “YVCF” (Yampa Valley Community Foundation) and “YVDR” (Yampa Valley Disaster Relief) should be spelled out before being abbreviated. After the corrections were made, the minutes were approved.
The board then approved the August disbursements before moving into discussion of the draft 2026 town budget. Madison raised questions about clarity in identifying which line items depend on grant funding.
“It’s hard to identify which items are in there, thinking that we’re probably going to get a grant for,” Madison said. “It would be helpful to have that information when we evaluate the budget. I had a note that you had said in one of the meetings that we usually only spend 50 to 60% of the allocated budget.”
Town Clerk Lisa Cook clarified that she had not previously given a percentage estimate. Madison followed up by asking about the general fund’s spending levels.
“Is that not true of the general, because if you go through the general budget, we’re a little bit close,” he said.
Town Administrator Mandi Etheridge responded that the town typically spends closer to 80% of its operating budget.
“Lisa works on those estimates, and those are quite close,” Etheridge said. “A lot of those we are usually more in the 80% range of operating budget because she estimates really well, budgets conservatively, and then everybody tends to spend, concerning the checks and balances within staff.”
Etheridge explained that the town’s philosophy is to balance systems development and capital projects with reserves, while planning ahead for possible grant opportunities.
“Our philosophy is to balance that systems development under those capital projects with our reserves, knowing full well that the majority of these will either be funded with grants and at the very least come before the board for any approval before moving forward with any projects,” she said.
“We had talked about before that the philosophy is to go ahead and budget all of those capital projects based on the board’s prioritization efforts,” Etheridge continued. “But the money is in there as earmarks, knowing full well that it would require reserves in order to manage those projects and pay for those projects. As 2026 moves on, if grant funding is not available or if sales tax dollars are falling, then we don’t pursue those projects.”
The board noted that earmarking funds allows the town to qualify for grant matches by demonstrating readiness, without committing to immediate spending. Trustee Charles Day mentioned long-term examples such as the $500,000 Town Mobility Plan and Robert Street improvements, which remain budgeted but unused.
Mayor Travis Day, speaking by phone, said earmarking reserves makes the town more competitive for grants and demonstrates strong financial planning.
The board agreed that some of the language used in the budget presentation may cause confusion, appearing as “spending” when it actually designates funds for potential future projects. They discussed possibly rewording the budget document for clarity.
After discussion, the board scheduled a public hearing on the draft 2026 budget for Nov. 18.
Next, the board approved an easement agreement with North 40 LLC. Etheridge reported that the town and the property owner reached an agreement to relocate an old water easement from the early 1900s to accommodate private construction while preserving the town’s access rights.
Town Attorney Melody Massih and the town’s engineer reviewed the new easement, which they determined provides better topography and access for maintenance. Rio Blanco County Building Inspector Matt Franks was thanked for bringing the issue to the town’s attention.
The board then considered a change order for the Town Hall security system. The proposed change would increase video retention from 30 to 90 days for three cameras and add a fourth camera to the system, increasing the project cost by $1,140. The motion passed, and the board will wait for a revised order from Spectra before installation proceeds.
During her administrative update, Etheridge noted that she had spent much of the week “in grant reporting mode so that we can get paid for Circle Park and the Garfield Street water line.” She also reminded the board that the 2026 budget packet included a memo from Cook summarizing recent revisions.
The meeting adjourned with the next regular session scheduled for Oct. 21, 2025, at Meeker Town Hall.