Crested Butte offers settlement option to Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation over unpaid biosolids fees

After a brief executive session, the Crested Butte Town Council directed staff and two council members, with the town attorney, to seek a negotiated settlement with Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District over an outstanding balance for biosolids.

The staff report presented three settlement options. Option A would require payoff by Dec. 1, 2028, with 2% interest accrued from Jan. 1, 2023 through Nov. 30, 2025, and 4.5% interest commencing Dec. 1, 2025. Option B proposed payoff by Dec. 1, 2028 with 0% interest for the Jan. 1, 2023–Nov. 30, 2025 period and 5.5% interest starting Dec. 1, 2025. Option C proposed payoff by Dec. 1, 2029 with 0% interest for Jan. 1, 2023–Nov. 30, 2025 and 5.5% interest commencing Dec. 1, 2025.

Council discussed the options and directed a delegation of two council members, the town attorney and appropriate staff to meet with the district and pursue Settlement Option A, with Option B as a fallback and one‑day mediation if negotiations fail. Councilmember Gabi Prochaska moved and Beth Goldstone seconded a motion to offer Settlement Option A and to pursue mediation if an agreement could not be reached; the motion passed on a roll call with Cowherd absent.

The transcript records the staff assertion that the district failed to pay for biosolids; no representative of Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation addressed the council on the record in this meeting. Council’s action directs negotiation rather than immediate litigation or filing a collection complaint, leaving the matter to forthcoming settlement talks or mediation.