County authorizes seasonal high-country dozer hire amid debate over plowing and tourism impacts

The Ouray County Board of County Commissioners on March 1 authorized Road & Bridge Superintendent Ty Barger to advertise for a seasonal high‑country dozer operator, citing the need to rebuild staff continuity after two experienced operators left and to train replacements ahead of spring route clearance.

Barger told the board he can fund the seasonal hire within his budget and estimated a maximum seasonal compensation of $20,000, saying the temporary position would provide one‑on‑one training to a permanent employee and help preserve operational continuity for six high‑country routes. "Hiring a seasonal high‑country dozer operator for likely two seasons would enable me to implement training for two operators and have a continuity plan in place," Barger said.

The discussion grew into a wider debate about the county’s practice of plowing high‑alpine roads each spring and the economic case for doing so. Barger presented an analysis that used a pre‑COVID estimate (69 percent of sales tax attributed to tourism) and local traffic counts to suggest a substantial return on investment from keeping high‑country roads open. He said, based on that math, high‑country tourism accounts for a large share of the county’s sales‑tax revenues and urged maintaining spring clearance to support visitors and local businesses.

Several commissioners and multiple members of the public pushed back, asking for the underlying data and warning of environmental and recreation trade‑offs. Public commenter Kelly Ryan, who runs outdoor guiding businesses, urged more public outreach and consideration of non‑motorized recreation, saying: "This kind of conversation really should have more input from the public and be publicized." Another commentator said the master plan emphasizes multi‑use recreation and cautioned that early plowing can increase erosion and affect other users.

Commissioners also focused on safety and avalanche risk. Barger said road crews do not conduct avalanche work during avalanche season and that he will coordinate with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center before deploying dozers. He described existing mitigation procedures and daily beacon checks for operators. "Before I deploy my dozers, I will contact CAIC to see if there are any unseasonably late avalanche risks," Barger told the board.

Board members agreed the seasonal hire was primarily a personnel and continuity decision, not a policy change. Two of three commissioners voiced support for the hire during the meeting and the board instructed staff to advertise the position. Several commissioners and speakers asked that the broader policy questions — whether and when to plow certain roads, environmental impacts, and cross‑county coordination — be placed on a future work session agenda so the public can weigh in.

Barger said he will proceed with recruitment and expects to advertise immediately; if filled quickly he hoped the seasonal operator could start by mid‑April. The board asked staff to share the supporting traffic and revenue data with commissioners and to schedule a work session to examine the policy trade‑offs in more depth.