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Chaffee County moves to incubate working‑lands resilience program with $250k–$300k proposal
Summary
Commissioners directed staff to advance a working‑lands resilience initiative that would incubate a coordinator role (housed in a local ag organization, not county staff) and develop a multi‑year working‑lands action plan; staff proposed $250,000–$300,000 over two years for coordinator and consultant costs.
County staff presented a proposed working‑lands resilience initiative intended to strengthen agricultural viability across Chaffee County. The concept centers on incubating a working‑lands resilience coordinator position housed in a local agricultural organization (not a new county department) and commissioning a consultant to develop a coordinated working‑lands action plan similar in structure to the county’s recreation and wildfire protection plans.
Staff framed goals to (1) create local professional capacity to advocate for and support production agriculture, (2) develop an integrated working‑lands action plan, and (3) provide grant‑writing and succession‑planning support for producers. The slide deck and presentation cited historical trends showing a roughly 50% loss of irrigated agricultural acreage in the county over recent decades and argued for urgent action to preserve working lands and related economies.
Budget assumptions presented to the board ranged between $250,000 and $300,000 over two years: funds to support a coordinator (full‑time equivalent), engagement and consultant work (estimated $50,000–$100,000 for plan development), and seed funding to leverage additional grants. The BOCC directed staff to continue drafting a scope of work, coordinate with the Common Ground Citizens Advisory Committee and other stakeholders, and return with RFP/RFQ recommendations and a refined budget.
