Cortez city council

The city of Cortez is holding several listening sessions starting on Tuesday as part of the next steps in updating the land use code for the city, which was first adopted 27 years ago. Rachael Marchbanks, the city’s community and economic development director, says that the listening sessions are organized by Logan Simpson, the consultant company for the city. The eventual changes to the land use code will factor in the need for affordable housing in Cortez, she says. And a bill that would make changes to Colorado’s election system was approved by the state Senate last week.

The Cortez City Council has unanimously approved a plan to rewrite the city’s land use code. In order to improve affordable housing options available for those looking to move or build homes in Cortez, the city applied for a grant from the Colorado State Department of Local Affairs to fund a land use code project. And state lawmakers want oil and gas companies to conserve more water. A new bill would require companies to report their water use for increased transparency.

The Cortez City Council will vote on an ordinance Tuesday night that will determine if a property located on the southwest corner of North Chestnut Street and West Empire Street will be rezoned from residential single family, to residential multi-family. And state lawmakers want to give local authorities the power to outlaw gunfire in densely populated areas.

The Colorado senate has started debating a bill aiming to prevent fentanyl overdoses. The City of Cortez has a new city council and mayor. And, looking at water conditions as summer approaches, the picture across the Southwest doesn’t look good.

Colorado lawmakers are advancing a bill to give tax credits to small businesses that advertise in local newspapers and radio stations. And candidates for Cortez City Council answered questions in a public forum on Thursday evening.

Democrats at the Colorado statehouse are blocking new Republican efforts to ban abortions. The City of Cortez and Montezuma County have announced their choice for Cortez Municipal Airport’s new airline. And one of the candidates for Cortez City Council has dropped out of the race.

It’s a busy time in the Cortez city government. The annual budget for 2022 is in the works and new initiatives are being rolled out to improve transparency with the community. KSJD’s Lucas Brady Woods has more.

The days of exponentially high increases in health-insurance costs may finally be in the past for Coloradans according to preliminary projections from the state’s Division of Insurance; At its regular meeting on Tuesday, the Cortez City Council made some changes to this year's city budget and addressed the possibility of an additional city tax on marijuana.

Communities in the Navajo Nation are being hit hard by the so-called megadrought that's hitting the Western U.S.In Montezuma County, some communities…

The City of Cortez hired a new City Manager about two months ago. After a recruitment process that involved a third party recruiter and public input, the…