Rio Blanco commissioners approve broadband upgrades, airport and tower agreements; several appointments and resolutions pass

The Rio Blanco County Board of County Commissioners on March 11 approved a package of motions covering broadband upgrades, airport and tower projects, board appointments and a revision to the county procurement policy that requires IT review of proposed software and equipment purchases.

The board voted 3–0 on a number of items taken together across the meeting. Highlights included formal approval of a broadband equipment refresh and XGS-PON upgrade budget, authorization for use of FAA entitlement funds for a Meeker Airport GA ramp reconstruction project and amendments to two telecom tower leases with T-Mobile West, LLC. Commissioners also approved a county procurement policy update that adds IT oversight for purchases of IT equipment, software and services.

Other formal actions included appointment and reappointment items, an intergovernmental agreement for a CDBG program partner, approval of engineering work orders for a Meeker airport fuel-farm site-preparation project, and a letter of opposition ratified by the board to House Bill 25-1258 (Scientific Wildlife Management).

Votes at a glance (motions recorded on the meeting record):

- Readopt agenda and approve consent agenda (payroll, accounts payable, minutes, DMV report): motion approved (roll call recorded as Aye by the three commissioners).

- Executive session under C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(b) to receive legal advice regarding negotiations and MOUs (including CSU and BLM items): motion and second; board entered executive session as noticed.

- Limited-waiver application (planned unit development agreement) for North 40 Ranch (request to waive PUD size restriction so a single-owner 40-acre parcel can build a larger dwelling): motion made, discussed by county legal and planning staff, and approved by roll call (Aye by Commissioners Scritschfeld, O'Hare and Overton). The approval was limited to the PUD agreement waiver; county land-use regulations and building permit requirements remain in force.

- Appointments: Renee Harden to the Colorado Service Block Grant (CSBG) advisory board (approved by roll call); Jamie Preciado appointed to the fair board (approved); motion to appoint Doug Cupp (Cupp) as county emergency manager approved after discussion of qualifications and references.

- Intergovernmental/contract approvals: approval of a CDBG grant application intergovernmental agreement with Northwest Colorado Development Fund (motion carried); FAA entitlement transfer for Meeker Airport GA ramp reconstruction (motion carried); engineering work order with Graver Engineering LLC for Meeker fuel-farm site preparation (motion carried); approval of a county letter of interest to Colorado Division of Fire Prevention & Control regarding aviation facility siting (motion carried).

- Tower lease amendments: two amendments to update communications equipment on county tower sites with T-Mobile West, LLC were presented and approved.

- Broadband equipment refresh and XGS-PON upgrade: after a detailed briefing by county broadband staff, the board approved the purchase and implementation plan for an XGS-PON upgrade and replacement/upgrades of core broadband switches (motion passed by roll call). (See separate article for full technical and budget details.)

- Legislative position and letters: the board ratified a letter of opposition to House Bill 25-1258 (Scientific Wildlife Management) and voted to oppose Senate Bill 25-149 (equestrian measures), citing concern about unfunded mandates on county road and bridge operations.

- Procurement policy: the board adopted Resolution 2025-09 to revise county procurement procedures to require IT department approval before department directors may purchase IT equipment, software, or services. The change is intended to ensure compatibility, security and accessibility compliance (including reference to federal 2 C.F.R. §200 and Colorado HB 21-1110 compliance work now underway).

- Deputization/animal and livestock conflict investigator: the board approved a letter supporting deputization of an APHIS (USDA Wildlife Services) agent, Justin Ewing, to serve as a county animal and livestock conflict investigator; the motion passed and the signed letter directs livestock producers to contact Ewing or the sheriff’s office if they wish county deputy participation in CPW investigations.

What the votes mean: Many of the approvals provide staff direction to execute contracts, file required grant documents or enter into memoranda or amendments; they do not, by themselves, change county policy beyond the procurement resolution. Multiple approvals (FAA entitlements, fuel-farm engineering, tower amendments and the broadband equipment purchases) were presented as follow-on implementation steps to previously discussed projects.

The board signaled continued interest in balancing transparency and fiscal priorities when handling state-mandated requirements, and repeatedly asked staff for more detailed cost information before committing additional ongoing budgets, particularly regarding technology and ADA-related remediation work.

Ending: The board recessed for a brief technical problem during the business and resumed to finish the agenda. Several items announced at the meeting — including further vendor quotes and cost breakdowns for closed-captioning vendors for video remediation — were scheduled for follow-up at a later date.