Residents and business owners urge council to halt city legal actions tied to Mitchell Cooper water

Multiple residents and business owners told the Glenwood Springs City Council on July 16 that the city’s pursuit of a disconnection related to a Mitchell Cooper past‑due balance appears to exceed the debt‑collection action council approved last year.

Jennifer Victor, who said she and her husband own Vicos Truck in Glenwood, told the council she and other shareholders paid the past‑due balance in full on June 5, 2026, after a special assessment. She said a July 1 letter — copied to state regulators, she said — notified shareholders the utility planned to shut off water and would not restore service until shareholders purchased meters and signed up for city water service. “This is way beyond collection of a debt,” Victor said, adding the step threatened several hundred people, including infants, elderly residents and workers who rely on the connection.

Several members of the Del Rio family — who described multigenerational ties to the valley and ownership of the Ponderosa Lodge — repeated that claim. Noah Del Rio said the lodge provides workforce housing and tourism support and argued that the city’s legal pressure “feels like a calculated attempt to devalue our private senior water rights so that the city can just claim them without paying fair market value.” Lucas and David Del Rio said the family’s account is paid in full and asked the council to honor a historical agreement they said dates to 1984 (amended 1986).

City staff declined to discuss details in public because the matter is subject to litigation, but they said the city and Mitchell Cooper have a long, complex history and that court orders and prior offers of compromise have shaped the current situation. The city attorney said staff could provide further guidance but recommended the matter be discussed in executive session to receive legal advice.

Other public commenters described the stakes in human terms: business closures, lost jobs and the loss of workforce housing that, they said, would follow disconnection. Councilors suggested staff could convene an executive session to review the litigation and the options available to the council.

The council did not vote on any policy related to Mitchell Cooper at the July 16 meeting; instead, staff suggested additional review and potential executive session on the matter.

The city manager later told councilors staff would schedule an executive session if requested and provide any updated guidance consistent with litigation confidentiality.