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KSJD Newscast - November 5th, 2015

  • Montezuma County and the City of Cortez grapple over homelessness issues and fees for permits, road impacts, and landfill.

Officials from Montezuma County and the city of Cortez jousted at a joint meeting Tuesday night about issues including what to do with the aging Justice Building in Centennial Park as well as the larger problem of handling the homeless and intoxicated. The county owns the building at the corner of Mildred Avenue and Empire Street but hopes to build a new courthouse that would house the functions that are currently in the Justice Building. Commissioner Keenan Ertel said the county might try to sell the building, and the Piñon Project, county Housing Authority and Bridge shelter – which already uses the Justice Building at night – have all expressed interest. However, Ertel said it could be a problem to keep a shelter permanently in the city’s parks complex. He said many people already are reluctant to use the city rec center because indigent people go there to get out of the cold. City Manager Shane Hale said the city walks a fine line in addressing such issues, and people can’t be denied access to a public building without good reason. The parties agreed to continue talking and possibly to collaborate to seek funds for a permanent homeless shelter.

At the same meeting, both the city and county complained about fees the other charges. The county asked if the city could waive the more than $30,000 it would normally charge for permits and inspections for the new county courthouse. City officials in turn voiced concern about the county’s road impact fees, which would run to more than $40,000 for a single business interested in locating on city land near the industrial park. City officials also expressed dismay over the fact that the county is raising landfill fees for commercial haulers by up to 10 percent. The dialogue was to continue.
 

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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