On April 22nd, the Durango City Council voted 4 to 1 to have City Attorney Mark Morgan give a full analysis of proposed state legislation (SB 193) that would give tribes absolute jurisdiction to approve or deny annexation requests of property located within the exterior boundaries of a reservation of a federally recognized Indian tribe. Councilor Gilda Yazzie voted no. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe is pushing the legislation. In a unanimous decision, the council voted to take a 3 week pause on staff work related to the La Posta Road development, where the City is discussing annexation of private land within the reservation boundaries. In a 4 to 1 vote, they also decided to respectfully decline a meeting with Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s Chairman Baker on April 24th or 25th, pending more information.
April 2nd, Durango City Council voted to purchase a housing unit at the Animas City Park Overlook Townhomes to be used for workforce housing. The agreement with the developer of the townhomes was that four units would be deed restricted for workforce housing. The city purchased the additional townhome to be sold at the deed-restricted price.
Also on April 2nd, the Council approved a letter of support for the La Plata Economic Development Alliance to apply for a DOLA grant to create a regional childcare investment strategy. This initiative aims to create actionable strategies to address essential childcare needs, with a focus on retaining and recruiting the essential workforce.
City Council will consider a ballot measure to fund the new City Hall and Police Station. The question may be on the ballot for November. The city is looking at potentially asking voters to reauthorize the 2005 half-cent sales tax as a way to fund this project. Half of the 2005 tax, 1/4 cent, was used to build the library and rebuild Florida Road. The other 1/4 cent pays for the city’s parks, open space and trails efforts. The tax ends Dec. 31, 2026. Council has until mid-July to decide whether to ask voters to reauthorize the sales tax.
