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Resident criticizes county roadside vegetation management and new weed‑manager hire
Summary
A Montezuma County resident criticized recent roadside clearing methods, questioned cost‑effectiveness and objected to hiring a new weed manager from the marijuana industry, urging the board to reconsider approach.
Edward Anderson, a Montezuma County resident, used the board’s public comment period on Feb. 18, 2025, to criticize the county’s current roadside vegetation management practices and hiring decisions.
Anderson said the county previously used an invasive‑weed manager who relied on pre‑emergent herbicides and that the county’s recent approach—two employees holding signs while another operates a $30,000 mulching machine—is inefficient and risky. He warned a piece of barbed wire or other debris could damage expensive equipment and questioned whether the county’s current methods are cost effective.
Anderson also criticized the county’s hiring choice for a new weed manager, saying the person was hired from the marijuana industry and arguing that managing noxious weeds requires a different background. He framed his remarks as concerns about county priorities and fiscal responsibility, and asked whether county services and emergency‑response infrastructure (he specifically mentioned hydrants) were being maintained.
The board did not take action during the meeting on Anderson’s remarks; the comments were recorded during the public comment period and the county did not respond on the record during the session.
