Residents press county on camping, squatting and sanitation in Colorado City; commissioners promise interagency meeting

Residents of Colorado City and adjacent metro districts told Pueblo County commissioners the community faces ongoing illegal camping, multiple‑occupancy campers, dumping and human waste that are harming private property and public health.

Greg Collins, a director with Colorado City Metro, said the district has a long list of unresolved violations, some several years old, and described limited cooperation from law enforcement. “We have received some help from the county health department. We're getting very little cooperation from the sheriff,” he told the commissioners. Jim (district manager for Colorado City) described a multi‑agency committee that previously met every two months and produced improvements; he and others urged the county to reconstitute that committee with planning and zoning, building, health, county attorneys and law enforcement.

Why this matters: speakers said campers and unpermitted structures are being used as short‑term residences without sanitation hookups; health and safety issues include raw sewage discharge and fire risk when people build informal cooking fires. Property owners and Metro District directors said the situation is harming taxpayer investments and local quality of life.

County response and planned follow‑up Commissioners said they were previously unaware of the current scale of the problem and pledged to convene a meeting with regional building, planning and zoning, the health department, a law‑enforcement representative and Metro District leadership. Commissioner Zach Swearingen said planning and zoning and law enforcement should attend, and later said the county will aim to hold the first follow‑up meeting by the end of next month. Commissioner Paul McGeeter said the county will help organize and asked Colorado City leaders to submit details and evidence.

Requested actions and constraints Speakers requested the county consider: assembling a standing interagency committee; exploring enforcement tools such as liens where appropriate; clarifying the roles of Metro Districts versus county authority; and coordinating sanitation enforcement to stop raw sewage discharges. County staff cautioned that some enforcement is constrained by state law—including squatter and property‑rights protections—and that solutions will require coordination and possibly legislative changes.

Related public‑safety and prevention concerns Speakers also warned of fire risk from unattended campfires during red‑flag days and urged clearer enforcement around open flames and sanitation. Commissioners encouraged community members to compile documentation and attend the planned interagency meeting; no formal policy or funding decision was made during the town hall.