Montezuma County commissioners direct staff to draft ‘rubbish’ ordinance, schedule public hearing

At the April 28 meeting, the Montezuma County Board of County Commissioners directed county staff to draft focused ordinance language aimed at addressing rubbish and roadside trash and to schedule a public hearing so residents can comment on the specific proposal.

The county attorney asked whether the board preferred a published draft for public review or an open-ended hearing to gather input. The chair and several commissioners said they favored preparing draft language that would let residents see precisely what was under consideration. “If we do the ordinance moving forward, we can still set up the public hearing, and we’re basically trying to address…rubbish [and] trash,” the chair said, adding that a targeted approach would avoid changing the comprehensive plan.

Commissioners cited comparisons to neighboring counties’ approaches, naming Mesa County, Montrose County and Delta County as examples. The chair stressed the fire and public-safety risk posed by unmanaged dumpsites and called for a “baby steps” approach: start with trash removal rules and cleanup enforcement rather than an expansive blight ordinance.

Staff was asked to prepare draft language and bring it back for a public hearing; the county attorney and a staff member named Don were identified in the discussion as the points of contact for drafting. Separately, commissioners noted scheduled city and county cleanup efforts in mid-May and said tipping fees for collected material would be paid from commissioners’ budgets.

No ordinance text or adoption timeline was provided at the meeting; commissioners emphasized that the public hearing would be used to refine specifics before any formal adoption.