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City staff seeks DOLA grant and consultant to add growth and water elements to comprehensive plan
Summary
Staff said state law requires Cortez to adopt strategic growth and water-supply elements; the city is pursuing a DOLA grant with a 25% local match, plans an RFP and public engagement, and expects the work to begin mid-year with adoption targeted by Dec. 31, 2026 but potentially later.
City planning staff told the Planning and Zoning Commission that recent state legislation requires Cortez to add two elements to its comprehensive plan: a strategic growth element and a water-supply element. Jason Armstrong said he is working with the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) on a grant to hire a consultant to help prepare the elements.
Armstrong said the grant program requires a 25 percent local match, which the city has budgeted for 2026. He described the strategic growth element as identifying preferred areas for infill and preserving open space, while the water-supply element will present scenarios about future water availability and related infrastructure needs. Armstrong said DOLA has indicated support and that the city may be ahead of many municipalities in preparing for required changes.
If funded, staff plans to issue an RFP after DOLA review, leave the solicitation open for about a month, then score and interview applicants using a weighted-criteria panel. Armstrong invited commission members to participate on the review team; at least one commissioner volunteered to sit on initial meetings and report back.
Armstrong told the commission the target for adopting the two elements is Dec. 31, 2026, but he cautioned that the overall comprehensive-plan rewrite will be a longer effort that may stretch into the following one to two years.
