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Commission discusses limits and options for tackling blight in Montezuma County; no ordinance advanced
Summary
Commissioners discussed whether the county can adopt a blight ordinance given the current comprehensive plan and land‑use code. Staff and commissioners noted legal, budgetary and enforcement limits and discussed alternatives such as targeted outreach, a liaison role and landfill tipping‑fee vouchers to encourage cleanups.
Montezuma County Planning and Zoning Commissioners spent an extended portion of their meeting discussing how the county might respond to long‑standing concerns about trash and perceived blight on private properties, but did not advance an ordinance.
Staff explained that the county’s comprehensive plan emphasizes private property rights and that the existing plan and code offer limited, enforceable definitions or remedies for generalized "blight." Commissioners said adopting a new ordinance would likely require rewriting the comprehensive plan and the land‑use code, a process that is time‑consuming and would need legal review to withstand judicial challenge.
Alternative approaches discussed included assigning a county liaison to work with property owners on site, offering landfill tipping‑fee vouchers to reduce the cost barrier for property cleanups, and directing the county attorney to pursue repeat enforcement cases. Commissioners noted each approach has trade‑offs: vouchers and outreach require funding; enforcement requires legal resources and can be costly for the county to pursue through repeated court actions.
No formal motion or ordinance was proposed. Commissioners said they were sharing options and awaiting further direction from the Board of County Commissioners on whether to pursue a comp‑plan rewrite or targeted enforcement measures.
