Ouray County amends vehicle-travel restriction after commissioners cite operational confusion

The Ouray County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 9 approved a repeal-and-replace of a recent austerity resolution that had limited county-owned vehicles to travel within county boundaries, after members and staff said the prior wording created operational uncertainty for Road & Bridge crews and emergency responders.

The board’s change removes the restrictive quoted language in the earlier resolution and updates wording to align vehicle usage with the county’s personnel policies, Commissioner Neece (chair) said. "The policy just created that uncertainty," the chair said, adding the revised language would allow on-call staff to perform duties across county lines when that travel "is directly related to official county business."

The concern focused on how the prior sentence had been written — commissioners and staff said it left open whether traveling into neighboring counties to pick up parts, access a washing facility, or respond to emergencies would count as county business. Road & Bridge Superintendent Ty Barger described routine examples: crews frequently pick up parts and have large trucks washed in Montrose because Ouray County lacks a wash bay. "We pick up parts in Montrose at the beginning or the end of a shift with a county vehicle," he said, arguing those trips are part of official duties.

Commissioner Padgett opposed the measure, saying the overall austerity resolution also restricted travel and training and had caused confusion about what travel was permitted. "There is real uncertainty around training and travel being limited to only things for certifications," Padgett said while voting no on the final motion.

County attorney Leo and staff recommended a simple deletion or a clearer repeal-and-replace wording (using strike-through in the document to show removed text), and the board agreed to remove the confusing whereas clause rather than keep a strike-through insertion. The motion to adopt resolution 2025-042, as amended, was moved by a commissioner and seconded; the roll call recorded one no vote and carried.

The board said it intends to incorporate any necessary vehicle usage details into the personnel policy update and to notify department heads of the change so operational staff are clear about the county’s expectations. The board also asked staff to communicate the change to impacted departments and elected officials.

The amended resolution was adopted at the meeting; staff said a finalized, modified copy would be circulated to departments.

The board’s action is procedural and does not change on-the-ground operations beyond restoring the prior, broader interpretation of authorized county business travel. The county manager and HR staff will fold more specific vehicle-use details into the forthcoming personnel policy manual update.