Teller County commissioners are zeroing in on developing a draft ordinance regulating short-term rentals in the county.

“It has been a long and drawn-out public process where we received information, guidance and advice as well as opinions from our residents,” said Commissioner Erik Stone, speaking at the commissioners’ meeting May 19. “We want to ensure that we don’t lose our neighborhoods, the community sense of our neighborhoods,” Stone said, adding that commissioners expect to release a draft in late May or early June.

Before adopting an ordinance, officials will hold several public hearings.

“We want our residents to know that we heard what they said; whatever we come up with will be easy to understand,” Stone said. “We need to make sure we are keeping our residents safe and for people coming here we want them to know the residences where they are staying are safe.”

The Colorado legislative session might be over, but Teller County commissioners are still on high alert about what’s coming, potential ballot issues, for instance.

A proposed initiative #302 establishes the right to hunt, fish and harvest fish and wildlife. 

“Pay attention if you’re a hunter; even if you don’t hunt, understand what fees associated with hunting and fishing licenses pay for,” Williams said. “We have a right to hunt. It’s not a privilege, it’s a right.”

Initiative #177 creates a law granting consumers the right to buy natural gas for cooking or heating in homes or businesses and for distributors to sell natural gas.

“Every year, some legislator in Denver wants to electrify all of Colorado,” Williams said.

Initiative #234 would require ballot language to be written at the eighth-grade level.

Commissioner Bob Campbell is baffled about the intersection of Inititativev#175 and the state senate’s pre-emptive response with SB 26-1430.  If the initiative were to pass, funds from the Highway Users Tax Fund would be dedicated exclusively to road and bridge repair, construction, road safety, related planning and engineering.

But the legislators are ready, preparing a counter bill if the initiative passes with HB26-1430 which would negate the initiative. 

“If the state doesn’t like the bill, they will pass 1430,” Campbell said. “It’s an obnoxious public policy concept.”

On another note, Wiliams praised the collaborative effort in Teller County that provided resources for Victor residents during the five-day water shutdown this month. 

Bobby Tech, Victor city administrator, Ross Herzog, county administrator and Fred Clifford, public works director, helped bring water to the residents.  Employees of SSR Mining showed up, including Kaitlyn Ragsdale, external relations director for SSR.

“Victor’s five-day crisis is a rural Colorado issue; we’ll take a hard look at the infrastructure and apply for grants,” Williams said.

In Teller County these days, if it isn’t one thing, it’s another, chaos in Pikes National Forest, for example.

“There’s a lot of misbehavior in the woods; signs that say, ‘please don’t shoot here,’ with bullet holes, smoldering campfires,” Williams said. “I heard gunfire, people shooting in the forest.”

In other business:

• The new general manager of SSR Cripple Creek/Victor Mining Co., Lowe Billingsley, introduced himself to the commissioners.

• The commissioners honored Chance Harmon for his 20 years of service to the public works department, praising his reliability  and willingness to be flexible as one of the county’s equipment operators.