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KSJD Newscast - November 9th, 2015

  • Fees at the Montezuma County landfill will rise 5 percent next year.
  • U.S. Forest Service has more time to turn over documents concerning a land swap on Wolf Creek Pass.

Fees at the Montezuma County landfill will rise 5 percent in 2016. On Monday, following a lengthy discussion, the county commissioners voted in favor of the “middle” option among three presented to them by landfill manager Shak Powers. The first option, no increase, would have left the landfill – which receives no funding from taxes – more than $100,000 in the red next year. The other choice, a 10 percent hike, would have put the landfill a few thousand dollars in the black. Commissioner Larry Don Suckla argued for no increase, saying if the county kept its rates low it would eventually make up the lost revenue through increased volume. But Commissioner Keenan Ertel said even with a fee hike the county charges less than many other regional facilities. The vote was 2 to 1, with Suckla dissenting. The rate hike does not apply to recyclables.  

The U.S. Forest Service has a little more time to turn over documents concerning a land swap on Wolf Creek Pass in Southwest Colorado that would clear the path for a controversial luxury resort planned by Texas developer “Red” McCombs. In late September, the environmental coalition Friends of Wolf Creek won a court decision requiring the agency to release documents sought through a Freedom of Information request by October 30th. However, on Friday the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado granted the agency an additional 30 days to comply, saying the amount of information is voluminous. The court said no further extensions will be granted.
 

Gail Binkly is a career journalist who has worked for the Colorado Springs Gazette and Cortez Journal, and was the editor of the Four Corners Free Press, based in Cortez.
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