The Weld County Board of County Commissioners approved an oil and gas lease covering 120 mineral acres to Prairie Operating Company LLC for $950 per acre, a total of $114,000, and authorized the chair to sign the lease.

The county’s finance department presented the single bid during the board’s Aug. 18 meeting. "For this auction, we received 1 bid from prairie operating company LLC for for 120 mineral acres at $950 per acre. So the total bid was a $114,000," Rusty Williams of the finance department said.

The board moved and approved the bid during the meeting; Commissioner Jason Maxey moved to approve and Commissioner Scott James seconded. After a brief call for questions, the board voted in favor and the chair was authorized to sign the lease.

The auction covered the West half of the Northwest quarter and other described parcels (as read at the meeting). No public comment on the auction was recorded during the session.

The lease proceeds will be recorded in county records as part of the county’s mineral-rights disposition process.