[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,74],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6587967,"mediaKeyId","5506707-81b98896a4eac88ff5976a58310f0777","parentId",5506707,"title","Votes at a glance: Custer County board approves lodging-tax measure and several operational actions","audioSeconds",880,"startMs",4620000,"endMs",5500000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5506707-81b98896a4eac88ff5976a58310f0777&start=4620&end=5500","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5506707-81b98896a4eac88ff5976a58310f0777/thumbnail_4620000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6587967/Custer-County/Colorado/Votes-at-a-glance-Custer-County-board-approves-lodging-tax-measure-and-several-operational-actions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6587967-895cbb8613c087ca812618491630552d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770100626&Signature=DmEXMne4K0CVGko2YTKKOMo7Vvuf--d~ZX~mInFAHngnuGxbsQpb3frotbsczJCin3aM8J~C6Ln~TPOqU8w2JpNP4k1A358pu5ZmEDhLCBljfA0fA588NeVMRrpXJIqd8cPnn5XYAtgf4EDhKU18J1lVw6hVBCbXsbDOfdr7FqE8I6fVlX-oL-YdUm3~xsQjejoZXpyCBwUiBIipLY8rAS8SGmrEtDNrLANktsfjelI6LLxiXtLuCljqCPWL4qJooNxAY-OVGJZTI4zZmwkrmYOFEkmChpySI621COISb4FjGtBCcUelhiuc2XIPrBgpL8ZIOZHOe8FrXZqqB-pTWg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Custer County","date","2025-07-30T16:49:01Z","article","The Custer County Board of Commissioners handled a range of formal actions on July 30, 2025. The most consequential action was adopting Resolution 25-32 to place a lodging-tax increase on the Nov. 4, 2025 ballot (see separate article). The board also voted on the items summarized below.

Votes and key details

- Intervention Inc. memorandum of understanding (useful public service program)
- Motion: Approve an MOU adding Custer County to Intervention Inc.’s community-connections program to administer court-ordered useful public service (UPS) sentences.
- Key terms: Intervention will administer the program at no cost to the county and collect defendant fees under its existing practices. The arrangement is consistent with how other counties in the judicial district operate UPS services.
- Outcome: Approved. Commissioners recorded “aye” votes for Paul, Lucas and Kanda during the roll call; motion carried. Effective Aug. 1, 2025.

- Chip sealer: purchase and repair authorization
- Motions: (1) Authorize purchase of a chip sealer (contract/quote on file). (2) Authorize shipping the county chip sealer off for repair/upgrades and approve a vendor quote to install an updated computer system.
- Financial notes in meeting: a vendor quote for repairs/updates was stated as $52,877.50; local trucking for transport was estimated at about $3,900; chip-seal material line-item mentioned at approximately $15,000. Commissioners approved the repairs/purchase subject to appropriation in the 2026 budget process and capped certain charges as discussed at the meeting.
- Outcome: Motions approved by voice vote; board agreed to proceed subject to appropriation and budget timing.

- Sale of two sheriff’s office vehicles to the City of Walsenburg
- Motion: Approve contract for sale of two sheriff office vehicles (2018 and 2020 Durango models) and enter intergovernmental agreement with Walsenburg.
- Payment timing: Buyer’s payment scheduled to be made Jan. 2, 2026 (per agreement language noted in meeting).
- Outcome: Approved by voice vote.

- Acceptance of donated sheriff vehicles and equipment
- Motion: Accept donated fleet vehicles and vehicle radios offered to the sheriff’s office.
- Clarification: The sheriff provided updated written confirmation the donations are offered without conditions; donated units will be placed into service and used within the sheriff’s fleet; some vehicles will be assigned to the posse.
- Outcome: Donation acceptance approved by voice vote.

- Sealed bid for county lots in Golden Valley
- Motion: Open and accept a sealed bid submitted for several small county lots in Golden Valley (50-by-100-foot parcels). A single sealed bid from Diane Hampton of West Point, Colorado, offered $5,000 for a block of four lots; commissioners moved to accept the bid.
- Outcome: Bid accepted by voice vote.

- Accounts payable
- Motion: Approve accounts payable batch for July 30, 2025.
- Notable line items called out in meeting: compactor payment to United Business Bank ($140,000); jet A tank installation at the airport (Eaton Sales and Service, $99,260.32, with $8,000 held back); chip-seal materials (BlackRock Material & Supply, $95,496.98); various road-and-bridge and other vendor payments.
- Total presented: $514,187.91 (as read during the meeting). Outcome: Approved by voice vote.

What the votes mean: Several of the approvals are operational and budget-related (vehicle sales, vendor payments, equipment repair) and will be handled through existing department budgets or subject to appropriation. The lodging-tax resolution is the only item that requires voter approval to take effect.

Roll-call & procedural notes: Most items were approved by voice vote. Where roll-call answers were read, commissioners answering in the affirmative included Paul, Lucas and Phil Kanda (recorded in the meeting transcript for several pertinent motions).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Custer County BOCC Meeting 07-30-2025","oneSentenceSummary","This summary lists motions the Custer County Board of Commissioners approved on July 30, 2025, including a lodging-tax ballot measure and a set of operational items such as an MOU for court-ordered community service, equipment repairs and vehicle transactions.","taxTitle","Custer County, Colorado","taxId",27208,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":75,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":76,"_40":77,"_42":78,"_44":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6587969,"Custer County commissioners approve lodging-tax ballot measure to fund housing and childcare",2419,1111000,3530000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5506707-81b98896a4eac88ff5976a58310f0777&start=1111&end=3530","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5506707-81b98896a4eac88ff5976a58310f0777/thumbnail_1111000.jpg","/articles/6587969/Custer-County/Colorado/Custer-County-commissioners-approve-lodging-tax-ballot-measure-to-fund-housing-and-childcare","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6587969-d56f1908aba7ec0cd113476ce5962911/orig.mp4?Expires=1770100626&Signature=iOyERpYA7MC9gDttEysnvJaYSot4fVngJwLPBHt55DXW92R4kqIAlF~zm77wSvOIL12ro4BGd~WkaWMigQHjVDlJjdg0b2wjbKdbjC7kZo4OgAM65EAixiR3q8QyU83t079rQHwp4J3W~f42jn7vmOfdkqdsrNE3GXEPUUClsj8hW-lEtgqQ~E3h-FsKQzcEnzHE4Z1d9oUOV6pe-OUsAIejgarrOsYovLtNOcxwq-5NLq2L-cuacQLIFLTxnsHiSjLbzw952Gdjye4ljJgOK7fqHCgM2RQU4RxZl8mzQYMiRr2PYUZoyQ0BVljHLNwxeNqsrluq2C4-xq4sGhZN9g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Custer County commissioners on Wednesday approved a resolution to put a lodging-tax increase before county voters on Nov. 4, 2025, raising the county’s lodging tax from 2% to 6% and carving the new rate into three equal parts: 2% for tourism advertising and marketing, 2% for childcare for the county workforce, and 2% for workforce housing.

The measure, adopted as Resolution 25-32, will appear on the coordinated election ballot after the board’s voice vote. Phil Kanda, county chairman of the board of commissioners, moved to adopt the resolution; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote with commissioners present answering in the affirmative.

Why it matters: Commissioners and local advocates said the county’s labor market and child-care shortage make new, locally controlled revenue attractive. In presentations to the board, local housing and child-care advocates cited county-level data showing a shrinking share of residents in the 20-to-64 prime workforce age group and a large gap between incomes and the local cost of living.

Barry (last name not specified), representing local workforce-housing interests, told commissioners the county’s share of residents aged 20–64 fell from about 55% in 2013 to 46% in 2023 and could drop to roughly 40% by 2033. He said the county expects about 160 new jobs over the next eight years but only about 120 people entering that prime workforce cohort, creating labor gaps the county will need to fill.

Stacy, director of the Custer County Kids Council, told the board the county is “considered a child-care desert.” She said there are about 272 children ages 0–5 in the county and only 38 licensed child-care slots, and she described examples of how lodging-tax dollars in other mountain communities have been used to buy buildings for child care, provide start-up grants for providers, or subsidize hours (for example opening programs on Fridays and during summers) to match the needs of seasonal work.

Opponents at the meeting expressed concern that the tax increase would be another new burden and warned against an expanding tax base. Brian Klitz, who identified himself as the owner of a local motel and liquor business, said, “You start with the little tax and you add on and you keep going and you keep going,” and urged caution about layering more fees.

Board discussion addressed administration and eligibility. The ballot language tracks the state statute’s allowance for lodging-tax revenues to be used for lodging-related workforce needs; the resolution as written specifies tourism-related workforce uses but speakers said implementing details — such as whether childcare or housing assistance would be limited only to tourism workers or broadly applied to the county workforce — would be decided during annual budget discussions and program design.

County officials said they plan to work with the Affordable Workforce Housing Group and local partners to design a nonprofit trust or other administrating entity to manage housing funds. Commissioners also discussed the possibility of vouchers, provider grants, or other locally managed programs for child-care expansion; no final administrative program was adopted at the meeting.

The resolution sets the ballot language and directs the county clerk to publish notice and conduct the coordinated election. The board did not adopt program rules or an allocation plan at the meeting; those decisions will be part of future budget and program-development work.

Where it goes next: If voters approve the measure, funds would begin accruing under the new rate after any state-required processing and would be available for the purposes set by the ballot language and future board budgeting. Commissioners said they will return to the specifics of administration, eligibility and contracting in follow-up meetings and budget sessions.","The Custer County Board of Commissioners voted to place a ballot measure on the Nov. 4, 2025 coordinated election that would raise the county lodging tax from 2% to 6%, dedicating two-thirds of the increase to workforce housing and childcare and retaining one-third for tourism marketing.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: Custer County board approves lodging-tax measure and several operational actions

Custer County commissioners approve lodging-tax ballot measure to fund housing and childcare