MEEKER | The town’s board of trustees formally agreed to prioritize the development of an emergency plan by May 2026 at the request of Mayor Pro Tem Chris Lockwood at the Feb. 17 meeting. The board had discussed the idea and agreed by a head nod at a prior meeting, but Lockwood urged the board to make it an official decision.
In staff updates, Public Works Superintendent Jak Kilduff said his department is back to a fully staffed crew, a zero turn mower has been ordered in preparation for the town taking over parks maintenance from the recreation district, and they are waiting for repairs to be completed on one of the dump trucks.
With little snow to plow, the department has been working on “honey-do” projects, including repairs to a fence shared by Town Hall and a neighbor, upgrades to the Wilbur Barn art show, and dog pound, river access signage for Third and Tenth streets, while continuing to make plans for parks maintenance.
Police Chief Eddie Thompson said the department handled 301 calls in January, resulting in six arrests and 16 citations. They are still awaiting the delivery of a new police vehicle.
Community Development Director and Town Planner Carly Thomson said they have received Fast Track funding for Proposition 123 and one of the projects will include concept design for some town-owned parcels in Sanderson Hills. Approved by Colorado voters in 2022, Proposition 123 (Prop 123) creates a permanent, dedicated state fund for affordable housing by allocating 0.1% of income tax revenue. It provides roughly $300 million annually, managed by DOLA and OEDIT for land banking, low-interest loans, and rental support, targeting a 3% increase in local housing stock.
Town Clerk Lisa Cook said they have approved a renewal for Riggs Downtown tavern license and had a successful workers’ comp audit. The town is “nearing the final phase of the phase one conversion” on the water billing software, with plans to “go live” by May.
Trustees approved Ordinance No. 2-2026 amending the Meeker Municipal Code, a business item that was tabled at the previous meeting. The changes bring the town code into compliance with recent state legislation for “peddler, solicitors and transient merchants,” compliance with current state statute on liquor regulations, and defining “excessive barking” as constant barking without stopping for no less than 15 minutes and amending regulation for a barking dog to support procedures for enforcement, new rules for dogs “running at large,” and a requirement to spay/neuter ownerless dogs released for adoption.
Trustees also discussed planning for the continuation of rec district programs at town locations, with Mayor Travis Day saying he wants to be proactive and make sure there is a plan in place, suggesting scheduling a meeting with the rec district to clarify expectations and programming needs.
In other business, the board:
• Approved a $7,000 donation toward 4th of July fireworks, an increase from the $5,000 requested
• Approved Matt Franks to replace Leif Joy on the town planning commission
• Trustees had lengthy discussions about the purchase of a new staff vehicle and the addition of water access to the pump track at Ute Park.
• Staff is reviewing bids for the water supply analysis report to present to the board.
• Margie Joy, incoming Town Manager, gave the manager’s report, noting that job descriptions for lead and seasonal positions have been discussed and will be posted.
Trustees brought up concerns about the intersection at Third and Main and discussed the possibility of adding a four-way stop sign to get people to slow down, as multiple close calls have been noted.
Lockwood asked Thomson to make sure the community, and local contractors, have been notified about upcoming wildfire resiliency code training.
In conclusion, Mayor Travis Day said he has been asked to put his “name in the hat” to fill Rio Blanco County Commissioner Doug Overton’s upcoming vacancy. Day asked if the board could move the March 3 meeting to 5:30 p.m. to accommodate the county Republican party caucus and assembly.