We have regulations controlling — or attempting to control — how development takes place in Archuleta County. According to my interview with now-resigned Development Director Pam Flowers, her department had 11 books of regulations to consider when approving or denying development plans in the unincorporated county.
Some regulations concern health and safety. Roof design that takes snow loads into account, for example, so that occupants are not accidentally crushed to death. Septic system design that minimizes the pollution of groundwater and surface water. Paving requirements that reduce harmful dust.
Other regulations have nothing to do with health and safety, but are meant to preserve the ‘character’ of certain neighborhoods, especially in rural parts of the county. Some regulations attempt to control ‘suburban sprawl’ — a type of development that puts financial and material stress on County services and utilities.
Regulations are created by state or local legislation, and are always a balancing act between ‘private property rights’ and ‘a safe, attractive, and economically viable community’.
New requirements arrive on a regular basis. Two years ago, the Colorado legislature, in its wisdom, passed Senate Bill 23-166, which established a ‘Wildfire Resiliency Code Board’ in the Division of Fire Prevention and Control, to help enhance community safety and resiliency from wildfires through the adoption of codes and standards. Those codes and standards went into effect this year.
A well-run, ethical Development Department conscientiously enforces the regulations, and also brings forward suggested changes to the regulations when situations seem to warrant amendments. The Board of County Commissioners can amend the approved regulations, by a majority vote, whenever they choose.
We don’t have any regulations, unfortunately, that require our Board of County Commissioners to treat their staff and the general public with respect.
I have found this editorial series difficult to write — not for a lack of factual content, but because, over the past five years, I have come to respect Development Director Pam Flowers as one of the most conscientious and ethical people working in the Archuleta County government.
On Friday, in Part Seven, Ms. Flowers explained the expansion of the Development Services Department as successive BOCCs have assigned new responsibilities and funding to the Department. At least four of those new responsibilities are directly related to our current housing crisis.
Regulation of the Short-Term Rental (STR) industry.
Applying for and administering grants aimed at promoting more workforce housing.
Standing up a new — and more efficient — Water Quality Department, to handle state-mandated septic system regulations in a timely manner.
Implementation of a multi-year Archuleta County Strategic Plan.
These are, to my mind, important County responsibilities, if we want a functioning local economy.
Now Ms. Flowers has resigned, and County Building Official Tony Medved has also resigned. These are not the only resignations to take place over the past two years. The BOCC has gone through four Administrative Assistants in the past two years, and the commissioners have fired or accepted resignations from:
County Manager Derek Woodman, County Attorney Todd Weaver, Paralegal Mary Helminski, Public Information Officer Ashley Springer, DHS Director Isabel Shelton, Transportation Director Kevin Bruce, and CSU Extension Director Robin Young, to name a few.
According to people familiar with the situation, the BOCC recently threatened to fire County Manager Jack Harper over his refusal to fire Pam Flowers.
The BOCC determined last year that the County would benefit from a three-year “Strategic Plan” to improve and prioritize County services, and they hired the consulting team Civic* Possible to interview residents and community leaders and develop the Plan.
The Plan was adopted last January, and batons were passed – both literally and figuratively – to four County department directors and the County communications specialist. This team was named the ‘Strategic Plan Focus Group’, and the five members were tasked with working together to address three ‘key pillars’ found to be top community priorities during the Plan’s development. The work involved setting measurable goals to improve County government.
From the County website:
This first-ever strategic plan will provide direction for County activities and guide elected officials and staff in decision-making over the next three years. With input from the community, County staff, and expert analysis, the plan will set measurable goals and objectives for Archuleta County as it aims to continuously improve its services and support for residents new and old, across the region.
Here’s the photo from January.
Six months later, the BOCC has already seen two of these important team members resign: Pam Flowers and Ashley Springer.
Who’s next?
At the July 22 BOCC work session, Commissioner John Ranson accused me, in a public meeting, of reporting in the Daily Post that “Jack Harper is next”.
As of July 22, Jack Harper had not even been mentioned in my editorial series.
Commissioner Ranson admitted that he had not actually read the Daily Post, but told us that he had learned about my alleged journalistic transgression through “emails”, and he demanded an apology…
…for something that had not occurred.
As we all know, you can’t believe everything you read in the newspaper — or in the Daily Post. But you certainly can’t believe everything you read in your emails, either. It appears, however, that at least one of our County commissioners does believe certain things he reads in his emails, without making any effort to verify the truth.
That very same behavior seems to have resulted, now, in the County losing two conscientious, ethical employees in Development Services.