Gunnison County delegates manager to negotiate amended affordable‑housing deed restriction after executive session

The Gunnison County Board of County Commissioners voted May 19 to direct staff to undertake continued due diligence and delegated County Manager Matthew Birnie authority to negotiate and execute documents related to a proposed Amended and Restated Affordable Housing Deed Restriction.

The action followed an executive session held under Colorado Revised Statutes § 24‑6‑402(4)(b) and (e)(I) in which the Board said it sought legal advice and to determine negotiating strategy. The Board entered executive session at 10:00 a.m. and returned at 10:35 a.m.; County Attorney Matthew Hoyt attested that the session stayed within the authorized topics and that, in his opinion, the discussion was privileged attorney‑client communication and required no record to be kept.

Chair Laura Puckett Daniels moved the post‑session direction to staff; Commissioner Elizabeth Smith seconded the motion. The motion to delegate negotiation and execution authority to County Manager Matthew Birnie carried unanimously.

County staff listed as included in the executive session were County Manager Matthew Birnie, Deputy County Attorney Rachel Allen, and Chief Financial Officer Melissa LaMonica. The minutes record that the directive is for continued due diligence and to authorize Birnie to negotiate and execute the next steps and any related documents necessary to complete the transaction.

The Board did not provide further specifics in the public minutes about the deed‑restriction terms, the parcels involved, or the timeline for completion. The next procedural step recorded in the minutes is staff continuing due diligence and exercising the delegated negotiation authority; no public hearing date or final action date is listed in the meeting record.