January 1, 2026
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The first topic on the agenda of the Town of Lake City Board of Trustees workshop December 17 was to continue an ongoing conversation about an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) between the Town and Hinsdale County Sheriff’s Office.Mayor Dave Roberts and trustees were presented with a revised draft of the IGA, which has undergone several revisions factoring in budget restraints, insurance, and information from other small towns comparable to Lake City, and how they make their Sheriff’s IGAs work for them.“The key to this is,” began Mayor Roberts, “we want law enforcement in our town, and we will have an IGA. The best way to explain this – when I was a trustee, when the Sheriff’s IGA would come up, it was just something we had to do, just renew it. No information, no thought put into it, really. What we’re trying to do is put together an agreement that makes sense. The old one was very strange and what we’re working on doing is putting together something that is fair between the Town and County. Nothing is set in stone yet. We’re just working on something that we can negotiate with that will be fair.”Roberts went on to say that it was suggested the Town Board compare Lake City to Silverton’s Sheriff IGA, since the towns are similar. “Their budget,” Roberts said, “is 8.3 million a year, and ours is 1.1 [million per year].”Roberts opened the floor to comments and asked Trustee Jodi Linsey to speak first. “I’m awful glad that we are not just rolling the same IGA over and over with no thought as to what it actually means in our world. From what I’m seeing [in this latest version] reflects a lot of the things that we have discussed in our workshops, so that’s good, and it’s time to lob it back to the County. Do we need to adopt an ordinance, or just give it a thumbs up?”Attorney Dan Krob, attending the meeting via Zoom, added “what we want to do is be on the same page as far as what we expect and what the County will expect. There will be hiring issues, that’s a statewide issue, and you guys being as remote as you are, it’s beautiful but that presents a challenge. So, we don’t want to put the Sheriff’s Office in a position to say, ‘we’ll give you fifty guys,’ when they can’t ever fulfill that.” Krob went on to say that the IGA should probably provide guidelines for what hours the Town expects the Sheriff to be working, and that a 3 percent increase in cost year upon year was fairly standard to other IGAs he has seen in other small towns. “But that’s completely up to you,” he said.Linsey replied with, “I think a set number of hours is going to be seen as unreasonable. The Sheriff’s Office will want to know how to track that; will there be timekeeping? I think it opens [the IGA] to issues rather than supplying answers.”Attorney Krob said, “Generally when I’ve seen these, there’s a breakdown that comes from the Sheriff’s Office that says ‘this is what our employees cost, this is what it costs to get them their vest or their car or whatever, and what we’re asking you [the Town] to pay, comes out to this amount of money.’ So I think it wouldn’t be out of line to ask the County – you [the Town] proposed $100,000 – what do we get for those services, what can we expect? I do think both sides want to work collaboratively, but I think both sides need to be on the same page as far as what is expected.”Town Manager Lex Mulhall said, “I do think [tracking] hours would be problematic and an administrative burden. As far as the cost, we had put in here $65,000, at a previous workshop someone mentioned $75,000, someone said that was too much, so we included a provision where if they provided a deputy for special events, that took place on town property, we would offer them additional compensations, they could charge us for that. I wanted your feedback on that. That way, also the non-profits wouldn’t have to hire their own security, which they had to do this year, at least for Wine and Music Festival.” Mulhall went on to say, “They [Hinsdale County] did provide additional information including dispatch fees; what’s expected for next year for just the dispatch fees it’s $69,317, plus a full-time deputy plus benefits plus overtime in the County Deputy Sherriff salary is $66,950. Undersheriff is $72,100. Also – the cost of the vehicles, which they just recently received two new Ford Expeditions, $71,500 each. I mention that because one of the other communities base the cost on one fully-equipped law enforcement vehicle. Then every three years, the cost of the IGA goes up based on a new vehicle being purchased and what the purchase price that year is for that vehicle. That is one of the ways we could approach this. If we did the three percent annual increase, and we paid the $100,548 they said they wanted next year, by 2035 we’re paying $131,193. It will keep going up more and more with that annual three percent increase, which is not really sustainable for us since our revenues aren’t going up three percent every year. Everyone’s cost goes up every year. Something that may be more manageable may be to [look at] the cost of the vehicle – $71,500 every three years, whatever it costs you to replace a vehicle, is what we pay – or something to that effect. Also in here, what was changed based on the conversation we had last time, was the insurance we changed to match some of the other IGAs that we’ve shown as examples, instead of us paying the liability insurance for a full-time police officer, which is another $8,700, we would just be adding them as additionally insured. $65,000 maybe a little
During the workshop portion of the December 3 Town of Lake City Board of Trustees meeting, the first item on the agenda was to discuss the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) between the Town and County for the Sheriff’s Office. This topic has been discussed at length during town meetings of late, and progress can be tracked through previous issues of Silver World.Trustees did not come to a conclusion during the workshop December 3, as they have decided to hold off on making a decision until they have the opportunity for Sheriff Denim Starnes to meet with them in person.Trustees had been given a draft copy of an IGA prepared by Hinsdale County, and Mayor Dave Roberts said, “there is no action [to be taken tonight] on this. We all got a copy of the IGA that the County presented. The purpose of this is for us to have an open discussion, to gather some information, and I believe we had some questions for the Sheriff. He was going to try to be here this evening, but there is a truck accident apparently on Slum, and he’s stuck so he will not be able to make it.”“ I believe we will be able to get our questions answered before we move forward with this. I think it’s important for the trustees to be able to share their opinions, also, Dan [Krob, Town Attorney] is on with us tonight. One thing I want to say about the IGA is that I believe as a board, and I myself, we all believe it’s very important the citizens of Lake City have police protection.”Attorney Krob stated that he thought the IGA was “a pretty good framework” that just “needed details hammered out.”It should be noted that County attorney Michael O’Loughlin was in attendance during the workshop to represent the interests of Hinsdale County.Also during the workshop portion of the meeting was a topic previously discussed by trustees; the possibility of a 2026 election ballot question to reduce the number of Town Trustees.The conversation began with Town Manager Lex Mulhall saying, “there was discussion about this 630when there were only four trustees and we had three vacancies and we couldn’t get anyone to sign up. If this were something that we decided to do, it would not go into effect until 2028. I just wanted to see if that was something worth discussing or thinking about. I thought I would be negligent in not bringing it up since we had that issue for a while.” Mayor Roberts said, “I remember when that issue came up and part of it was because we couldn’t even fill seats. It’s also a lot to ask. Let’s face it, you’re all volunteers, minus your big check every month,” to which Trustee Diane Bruce said with a laugh, “89 dollars and 55 cents!”Roberts continued, “I was told that the board used to be smaller and it got changed to seven – six trustees and a mayor, where it used to be four trustees and a major and I still don’t have an answer as to why it got changed. It seems to me, if you can’t fill the seats, what’s the point? Maybe if there were more people willing to run and be more dedicated to the job. I’m not saying anything about [the trustees] not being dedicated; this is one of the best boards I’ve ever been a part of and I appreciate the time and effort you guys put into it. Anyways, we wanted to throw that out and get your feelings on it.”Trustee Jodi Linsey spoke up, saying, “I think you have a really valid point, but I would counter it with the fact that the more people you have sitting at the table, the better you’re going to be able to govern, because you have greater diversity and you have a greater opportunity. If you only have four people, they might all be of the same opinion, whereas when you have more people, you have more diverse ideas. I’m a proponent of diversity. Also, I’d like to point out that we did have a very dysfunctional and angry board for a while, and those people are no longer sitting on the board and I think we’re more productive now, and I think we all contribute, whether we were elected or appointed”.Roberts responded, “I appreciate that, and I do agree with the diversity piece. I just wonder if it’s overkill. There’s three commissioners.”Linsey retorted with, “they also make $75,000 a year.” Roberts agreed, saying, “we don’t have time to discuss that.”Trustee Woods said, “I support keeping it at seven. It gives more of our citizens a chance to take part in the political process and if we don’t, then only three people would be a quorum. So three people could make a decision for the whole town.”Mulhall agreed, saying, “in most cases, unless it’s a super majority.”Trustee Bruce said “I haven’t made up my mind. I see both sides of it, but of course, this would have to go to a vote of the people.” Roberts confirmed, saying, “that’s what [we need to decide]; is it worth putting it to a vote of the people. I think the key to this is, there are seats coming up [to the end of their term], and a big part of our board right now filled vacancies instead of being elected by the citizens. You talk about representation; we were at a point where we needed a body in that seat – for someone to jump on board, and it worked out well, thank you all, but…that was another reason. If we don’t have enough citizen participation to even have elections, then are we serving the people of the town?”Trustee Kendall, who was initially appointed as town trustee, noted, “I can see both sides; there was a vacancy and I was assigned to it and then I got re-elected. I can see the other side too, it’s getting hard to
Town of Lake City Board of Trustees and Mayor Dave Roberts have been working for months toward a celebration of the sesquicentennial anniversary of the founding of Lake City in 1875. On Saturday, August 16, 150 years to the day of the formal founding of Lake City’s Township, a party was held in Town Park under sunny August skies and near-perfect temperatures. The party kicked off with some of Lake City’s favorite visitors, the colorful Ute Mountain Ute dancers, a full account of which can be read in the adjacent story. At noon, three speakers took the stage to give the audience some background on the lifespan of the Town of Lake City. First up was former Town Manager Michelle Pierce, who spoke of the founding of the Lake City Township. Next was Chair of the Historic Preservation Commission, Joe Fox, who talked about the importance of the Historic District. Lastly, Town Trustee Henry Woods spoke about the future of Lake City. In Pierce’s speech, she told the crowd: “many towns and cities in Colorado were first established by Town Companies. Gunnison, Montrose, Grand Junction, Ouray, Buena Vista and Colorado Springs, to name a few. There was even a North Denver Town Company. Lake City was one of them. Throughout my career, I was always a bit confused about the relationship between the Lake City Town Company and the Town of Lake City. I assumed that, at some point, there was a clean break between the dissolution of the Town Company and the establishment of the Town Government.In fact, they were formed at the same time and were two separate entities with completely separate purposes. Articles of Incorporation for the Lake City Town Company were signed on July 21, 1875 by 22 incorporators and filed for record with the Secretary of the Colorado Territory on September 28, 1875. The corporation was established for a period of 20 years.The Articles provided for a 7-member Board of Trustees. The first Board of Trustees was made up of President Henry Finley, Secretary Newton F. Bogue, Treasurer W. F. Ring and Trustees Otto Mears, Isaac Gothelf, H. M. Woods and Enos T. Hotchkiss.The purpose of the Town Company was to take and hold tracts of land for the purpose of establishing and erecting a town and to improve, sell, or otherwise dispose of this land. On August 16, 1875, one hundred and fifty years ago today, and in response to a petition signed by two-thirds of the resident voters and householders of Lake City, the Hinsdale County Board of Commissioners ordered that corporate powers as a town be delegated to Lake City as provided for in Chapter 84 of the Revised Statutes of the Colorado Territory, titled ‘Towns and Cities.’ The commissioners ordered that Lake City be thereafter known as the “Town of Lake City” with full corporate powers and appointed a 5-member Board of Trustees consisting of Henry Finley, F. Newton Bogue, Warren T. Ring, John D. Bartholf, and William C. Lewman.” Joe Fox spoke about the importance of the history of Lake City, saying, “After the nearly ghost town era for Lake City in the 30s and 40s, more and more tourists began to come in the 50s and 60s. By the 1970s locals and habitual summer visitors began to think more about the history of the town. Some Lake City residents got together in 1973 and created the Hinsdale County Historical Society, and established the Museum. We have our well-respected newspaper editor and longtime historical society president, Grant Houston, to thank for maintaining an active interest in these preservation activities from that beginning in the early 1970s. Lake City’s National Historic District was established in 1978, with the strong support of Mayor Bob Hall and developer John Parker, whose effort to rehabilitate several of the town’s old historic buildings was well served by the financial incentives that the district’s creation brought.” Henry Woods said, regarding the future of Lake City, “I don’t have a time machine or a crystal ball, but there are things that I feel certain are going to happen here. One thing I am sure of is that Lake City will continue to be the best place to visit and live in Colorado. I’m sure you have noticed all the dead trees that have been killed by insects. There are only two ways to kill those bugs: extreme cold or fire. We don’t have extreme cold temperatures anymore. The biggest event I can see in our future is the big forest fire. It’s not an issue of ‘if’ our forests will burn, but just ‘when.’ It will be a traumatic event for us, but in the long run it can be a very good thing. I feel certain that our Towns people will succeed in protecting our little village. Many thanks to our residents who volunteer for everything. After the fire, there will be an awesome new beginning that will feature more Ponderosa Pines and Junipers, and other lower elevation dryer climate species.” Birthday Audience in Awe Watching Ute Ceremonial Dances Indigenous people’s reverence for the land was repeatedly referenced by Southern Ute “Red Sky” dancers and applauded by an appreciative audience during Town of Lake City’s 150th anniversary celebrations on Saturday, August 16.Led by Mark and Rita Wing of the southwest-Colorado-based Southern Ute Tribe, traditional Ute dances performed by the “Red Sky Dancers” were rhythmically led by the drumbeat of singer Austin Jacket and included newly-crowned Miss Indian Colorado, Aliyah Jacket, performing the traditional Ute War Dance.Again to wide audience applause, she was followed later in the program by authentically-costumed, eagle-bedecked Pharo Laner and Steven Pensoneau, respectively precisely performing the Northern Man’s Chicken Dance and Southern Man’s Fancy Dance.Also dressed in authentic costume with an array of eagle feathers was leader Mark Wing with the Traditional Northen Men’s Dance, and his wife, co-leader Rita Wing with another traditional Ute dance entitled Women’s Northern Cloth.Comfortably seated in shade and bright sun surrounding the dance performance, Lake City
Turner states in her preface: “As seasonal lodging and tourism-based businesses are being hit with property tax increases, unfair utility rates, and increased lodging tax, the burden is immense. We feel some discriminatory action against our seasonal lodging businesses, and we hope to see some consideration.”
Town Manager Lex Mulhall attended a Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) funding freeze meeting last month, where questions were answered about all federal funding freezes mandated by Trump’s executive orders. On this call were over six hundred attendees from town and county governments, schools, special districts and non-profit organizations, all of whom were being affected by the freezing of federal funds.Mulhall asked about the state revolving loan fund that will be used to fund the construction of Lake City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), set to begin this spring. He was told that funds that have already been rewarded are in possession of the state, but that no new funding is available and it is unknown when additional funding might become available.Further, Mulhall was informed that 35 lawsuits have been filed against Trump’s executive orders, and two judges have ruled frozen funds are to be released immediately until the matter is settled in court. Despite this, most federal funds are still frozen and intended recipients of those funds are unable to submit reimbursement requests. In his Town Manager report submitted at the March 5 Board of Trustees meeting, Mulhall informed Trustees, “The Trump administration is ignoring the court rulings” at this time. Mulhall went on to say in his report, “we have been directly affected, having received notice on February 25 that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program has been frozen and is currently undergoing review, and that they will not be able to help us until the program is up and running again.”According to Mulhall, supporting documents that DOLA was assisting the Town with for the FEMA BRIC WWTP generator sub-application have been received, along with some of the documents for a FEMA BRIC Ball Flats Slope Flood and Debris Flow scoping project.The state deadline for the FEMA BRIC applications has been pushed back from March 1 to March 12, and Mulhall and staff will be submitting both sub- applications in case the program does wind up being funded.For the $900,000 supplemental loan for the WWTP from Colorado Water Resource and Power Development Authority, Mulhall was asked by Audit Firm Butler Snow to calculate how much the new sewer rates would have brought in if they had been in place in 2024. The firm requested this information because they need to verify that the Town will be capable of repaying the additional debt service for the loan.In January/February of 2024, the Town generated $61,242 in water revenue and $65,129 in sewer revenue. In January/February of this year, $64,091 was generated in water revenue and $92,478 was generated in sewer revenue. That places water revenue 4.6% higher in 2025 compared to 2024, the percentage amount which the water rate has been raised. The sewer revenue generated is 42% higher than in 2024. Using that percentage, Mulhall calculated the estimated 2025 revenue by multiplying the total revenue from 2024 by the percentage change from January and February of 2025.If total 2024 water revenue of $402,405 is multiplied by 4.6%, then 2025 estimated water revenue would equal $420,405. If total 2024 sewer revenue of $407,052 is multiplied by 42%, then 2025 estimated sewer revenue would equal $578,013. Therefore, total estimated 2025 water and sewer revenue with the new rates will equal $998,418.Mulhall added that this calculation does not include the expected additional revenue that will come from changing the excess usage calculation rates, which is expected to generate an additional $10,000 – $20,000.“This is looking good in terms of what we need to pay the additional debt service and to fund the water and sewer capital improvements fund sufficiently,” Mulhall said. “We budgeted $410,000 for water and $575,000 for sewer to ensure we could cover it.”Mulhall’s calculations have been sent to Butler Snow, and according to Mulhall, they should now have everything needed to generate and execute the loan documents.“Hopefully,” said Mulhall, “these funds have not been affected by the federal funding freeze.”
During the February 19 Town of Lake City Board of Trustees meeting, newly appointed Trustee Nathan Wuest was officially sworn in by Mayor Dave Roberts. After taking his oath, Roberts congratulated Wuest, who thanked him in return. .Trustee Jodi Linsey spoke first in the workshop portion of the evening, saying that she had received an email from David Cherry dated January 31, addressed to the Mayor and Trustees. While Linsey did not read the letter, she deemed it “thoughtful and well-written,” and asked that it be included in the next meeting’s correspondence received.Town Manager Lex Mulhall stated that many emails had been received since the joint Town and County meeting and asked if all of those emails should be included, noting that nearly everyone has an opinion on OHVs and the volume of correspondence can become overwhelming.It was agreed upon, across the Board of Trustees, that in the interest of transparency any letter or email addressed to the Mayor and Board of Trustees should indeed be included in correspondence received to be available for public review.Turning the conversation to the matter of OHVs, Mayor Roberts said that he “wanted to keep the conversation going” ahead of the summer season, “because summer will be here before you know it, so the sooner we can have things in place and have information out there for people, the better.”Mayor Roberts directed Trustees to look over the Stay the Trail Off Highway Guidelines pamphlet, saying, “I think [the pamphlet] covers the question of excessive noise, and while it all comes down to enforcement, that’s a reason to have the Sheriff involved in that conversation. What irritates me is when they’re coming down Crooke’s Hill – I remember being a teenager and whoever had the loudest stereo ‘won’ – some [of the OHVs] are so loud you can hear them from town. They don’t need to be that loud.”The pamphlet states that vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1998 register at 96dB(A) [A-weighted decibel] and vehicles manufactured before that date register at 99dB(A).Trustee Diane Bruce pointed out that there is no way to measure this when an OHV is travelling on the road, especially when there are other vehicles around, and that the verbiage in the potential ordinance the Trustees are considering is “unreasonable or excessive engine noise or blower noise. The only way [to determine] it would be to have them rev their engine, stationary. Also – we don’t want vehicles up on the Loop – or driving around town for that matter – without their spark arrestors.” Bruce also cited the hours of operation proposed in the ordinance as 7:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m., with restricted operation of OHVs outside of those hours.”Mayor Roberts said, “I think we’re doing what we can, and I’d just like to get it done, so we can get the word out before the masses arrive.”Bruce added “it’s important to stay proactive and doing things in the direction of improving the situation, so let’s continue to do that.”
During the December 4 Town of Lake City Board of Trustees meeting, Trustees and Mayor Dave Roberts reviewed and discussed the nearly finalized recommendations of Lake City’s sewer rate structure from the Rural Community Advocacy Corporation (RCAC), a non-profit organization that partners with underserved rural communities of less than 50,000 to assist with environmental infrastructure projects. For some time now, town staff has been considering increasing sewer rates and adopting a new sewer rate structure for a variety of reasons, due mainly, according to Town Manager Lex Mulhall, to the increased debt service incurred from the $3- million loan needed to renovate the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), which will require a payment of $187,402 per year for 20 years. In addition, operating costs have been steadily on the rise, with infrastructure that desperately needs to be updated, requiring capital reserves are adequately funded. The new rate structure proposed by RCAC is intended to justifiably and equitably distribute the cost of the new WWTP based on the strength of waste produced by users and its impact on the operation of the WWTP. The rate schedule trustees were presented with at the December 4 meeting had preliminary numbers, explained Mulhall, with updated information to be presented at the special budget meeting December 11, and finalized numbers to be reviewed and hopefully ready to be approved at the next regular meeting December 18. The schedule, which will be published once finalized and can be viewed at Town office, breaks down sewer categories beginning with single family residential (SFR), through different categories of commercial and industrial accounts, delineating the 2024 rates, the RCAC recommended rates, projected 2025 sewer revenues and excess usage fees per 1000 gallons. The rate schedule also indicates different strengths of waste, which is a measure of the concentration of contaminants in wastewater. The most common way to measure wastewater strength is through biological oxygen demand (BOD), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN – the sum of ammonia and organic nitrogen), and the presence and quantity of Ammonia (NH3). Wastewater with higher BOD, TSS, NH3, and TKN levels requires more treatment. TKN is the limiting factor for the WWTP and according to RCAC, it costs the Town $32 to treat 1lb of TKN in the summer months when RV parks are operating…… There’s more to the story….. Want the rest of the story? Subscribe to the Lake City Silver World today!
Hinsdale County voters in record droves maintained the status quo on Tuesday as they handily returned two incumbent County Commissioners to successive four-year terms, and affirmed Undersheriff Denim Starnes who was elected to a four-year term as Hinsdale County Sheriff, the 38th sheriff in the county’s 150-year history. Again, indicating voter satisfaction with the current slate of the county’s elected officers, Hinsdale County Coroner Lori Lawrence, running unopposed, received 479 votes, the highest vote tally of any candidate in this year’s General Election. Hinsdale County Clerk & Recorder Joan Roberts credited “smooth and efficient” work on the part of her staff, Deputy County Clerk Allison Athey and election judges, for a speedy turn around which allowed election results to be checked and double checked, with formal announcement of election results prior to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. At poll closing at 7 p.m. on a cold and snowing election evening Tuesday, the clerk’s office reported a tremendous 88 percent return of the 692 ballots which were mailed to registered voters last month. Of the 692 ballots sent to the county’s voters, 608 ballots were returned either by mail, hand delivery to the clerk’s office, or drop off in the county courthouse outside ballot box prior to Tuesday evening’s deadline. Election judges Alice Attaway, Karen McClatchie, Peggy Bales, Lorie Stewart, and Kathleen Whinnery Murphy smoothly processed this year’s ballots, reporting no provisional ballots which were left uncounted. In the county’s two tightest, contested election races, Unaffiliated incumbent District 1 Commissioner Greg Levine garnered a total of 343 votes county-wide compared to his Republican rival, Steve Ryals, who received 245 votes. Incumbent District 3 County Commissioner Robert Hurd, a Republican, was unopposed in his quest for re-election and received 443 votes, second highest vote tally among local candidates in Tuesday’s election. A second contested local election was for Hinsdale County Sheriff with an unprecedented three candidates who were vying to fill the vacancy resulting from last summer’s resignation of Chris Kambish. Since Kambish’s June, 2024, departure, the role of Hinsdale County Sheriff has been filled by former Sheriff Ron Bruce who was drafted to fill the position with the stated intent of once again retiring from office after the new sheriff is sworn into office on January 8 next year. Top vote recipient in the sheriff’s election was Unaffiliated candidate Denim Starnes, with 343 votes, who is currently Hinsdale County Undersheriff. Starnes was challenged by two candidates, Republican Jordan Kaminski, a former Hinsdale County Undersheriff, who received 186 votes, and a total of 42 votes were tallied for write-In candidate John Thomas Stratton. In other regional election results, traditionally GOP-leaning Hinsdale County awarded a near-identical number of votes to Gunnison County Democrat Kathleen Curry who was vying for the District 58 State Representative seat against Republican Larry Don Suckla. Within the county, Suckla was slightly ahead in Tuesday evening’s tally with 288 votes compared to Curry’s 262; district-wide and according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s cumulative tally Wednesday morning, Suckla was declared the winner with a 52.90 percent vote tally, 26,730, compared to 47.10 percent, 23,795, for Curry. Montrose Republican Marc Catlin was similarly triumphant in the district-wide vote tally for District 5 State Senator, Catlin receiving a total of 41,977 votes, 52.02 percent, compared to 38,718, 47.98 percent, for his Democratic challenger, Cole Buerger. In Hinsdale County in the District 5 State Senate race, Catlin received 336 votes, 216 votes going to Buerger. Predictably Republican leanings were also evident among Hinsdale County voters in the U.S. Presidential race, the Lake City tally after close of polls on Tuesday awarding 329 votes to Donald J. Trump and 252 votes Democratic challenger Kamala Harris. State-wide, as was heavily reported, Colorado voters on whole favored Democrat Harris, 51 percent with 1,374,175, compared to 1,084,812 votes — 43.1 percent — which were awarded to Trump. Other elections of interest include 7th Judicial District Attorney Seth Ryan, an incumbent, who was the sole candidate, receiving 342 Hinsdale County votes. The rub, however, is that Ryan resigned on September 24; state-wide, the 37,727 votes cast for Ryan now go to his replacement, Anna Cooling, who was named by the vacancy committee. The results for state ballot questions are as follows: Amendment G – “shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning the expansion of eligibility for the property tax exemption for veteran’s with a disability to include a veteran who does not have a service- connected disability rated as a one hundred percent permanent disability but does have individual employment status?” State-wide, this measure passed, with 72.45% of voters voting “yes” and 27.55% of voters voting “no.” In Hinsdale County the Amendment G vote was 396 yes, 163 no. Amendment H – shall there be an Amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning judicial discipline, and in connection therewith, establishing an Independent judicial discipline adjudicative board, setting standards for judicial review of a discipline case, and clarifying when discipline proceedings become public? This measure passed, with 72.74% of Colorado voters voting “yes” and 27.26% of voters voting “no.” Hinsdale County voters: 378 yes, 162 no. Amendment I – shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning creating an exception to the right to bail for cases of murder in the first degree when proof is evident or presumption is great? This measure passed, with 69.39% of voters voting “yes” and 30.61% of voters voting “no”. Hinsdale County: 384 yes, 173 no. Amendment J – shall there be an amendment to the Colorado Constitution removing the ban on same-sex marriage? This measure passed, with 63.78% of voters voting “yes” and 36.22% of voters voting “no.” Hinsdale County: 300 yes, 269 no. Amendment K – shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the modification of certain deadlines in connection with specified elections? This measure did not pass, with 55.31% of voters voting
Town of Lake City Board of Trustees is currently on the hunt for a new member (see notice page 11), after unanimously approving the resignation of Amber Votruba at their Wednesday, July 17 meeting.According to Town Manager Lex Mulhall, Votruba was appointed to the board but was never sworn in, so the approval of her resignation was a formality. Votruba and her husband, Josh, are proprietors of Packer Saloon and Cannibal Grill, and during the bustling summer season with the restaurant closed only on Wednesdays, said Mulhall, as Votruba communicated to him, she simply did not have time to devote to being a Town Trustee.In other town news, a new Town Clerk has been hired, Grant Massey, whose parents, David and Diane Massey, own a home in the area.Massey, 29, previously worked in Dallas, Texas, for a corporation called The Judge Group, specializing in recruiting, executive staffing, IT consultancy and learning solutions. His area of expertise was in security clearance for commercial defense contractors.His desire to move to Lake City originated with the notion of escaping Texas summer heat, in addition to the fact that he had been for some time looking to get into Town Government. Having been coming to Lake City for many years with his parents, he jumped at the opportunity to become Town Clerk and live in Lake City full-time.The Massey family has been visiting Lake City in summer for approximately 47 years, and his parents purchased a home here 13 years ago. He tells WORLD that while technically, home base for his parents is Irving, Texas, they mainly live out of their RV and keep on the move owing to his father’s career as an HR recruiter and talent manager.It was because of this moving around so frequently that Massey was homeschooled for his High School education, but once he graduated, he earned his degree from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.When asked what his first impression of the job as Town Clerk were, he said, “everyone has been so friendly and welcoming.” He also said that larger towns have larger administrative staffs, sometimes 4 or 5 clerks, and while that’s not necessary in Lake City because of its population, he knows it is going to take him a while to become fully acclimated to the job of Town Clerk. “I imagine it will be a few years before I really have a handle on everything that a single Town Clerk needs to learn. The breadth and depth of this job are enormous.”For now, Massey and his Corgi-mix, Rufus, are settling into the Massey family home here in Lake City and enjoying the cooler temperatures.Town Manager Lex Mulhall says he is thankful to again have a clerk, and wishes to remind readers that Town office hours have changed; open 8-5 Monday, Wednesday and Friday, closed Tuesday and Thursday.