During this week’s regular Tuesday meeting, Basalt Town Council held a shared meal and joint work session with the Eagle Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to discuss updates concerning wildlife, childcare, land use and housing, both in Basalt and the greater county.
The first topic of discussion concerned recent county-funded efforts to reduce wildfire risk. Although the discussion was led by Eagle County Director of Emergency Management Birch Barron, he was supported by representatives from Roaring Fork Fire and Rescue, White River National Forest Aspen-Sopris Ranger District and the Roaring Fork Valley Wildfire Collaborative. Barron noted the necessity of such interjurisdictional communication when dealing with fires that don’t tend to respect county borders.
In 2026, Eagle County plans to invest approximately $2 million in general wildfire mitigation and response efforts, from both its general fund and funds allocated from the county lodging tax.
Of that $2 million, $605,000 will go toward reducing fuels in the landscape; $530,000 will go toward community resiliency programs such as fire safety assessments through the REALfire program, wildfire collaboratives and cost-share-assistance programs for home and neighborhood-level mitigation projects. The remaining $865,000 will be used for interagency emergency response funding.
In 2026, Eagle County also plans to move its Community Chipping and Slash Removal program into the Roaring Fork Valley, using $50,000 in county funding matched by an equal amount from the Roaring Fork Valley Wildfire Collaborative. Through this program, property owners can simply drag downed trees, branches and other wildfire fuels to the curb to be picked up and properly disposed of free of charge. According to Barron, Eagle County will continue communicating with Basalt Town staff, so that this program finds its way to the Roaring Fork Valley this coming summer.
The next topic of discussion centered around the Early Childhood Service District approved by voters in November of 2025. Spanning from Aspen to Parachute, the district established a 0.25% sales tax for tuition assistance for families seeking early childhood education. Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney inquired how funding will be allocated and assistance programs implemented, especially considering that both Basalt and Eagle County provide childcare assistance funding programs in addition to the newly created district.
Commissioners and councilors discussed possible implementation plans, such as a unified waitlist across all childcare facilities and prioritization of younger children. Conveniently, the executive committee for the Confluence Early Childhood Education Coalition (CECE), which spearheaded the creation of the special district, includes Basalt Councilor Hannah Berman, who intended to communicate the ideas to her fellow CECE board members.
Afterwards, Eagle County Attorney Beth Oliver presented the Eagle County Land Use Regulations (ECLUR) rewrite project, in which the county is comprehensively rewriting its regulations in order to simplify language, modernize land-use plans and procedures and conform to state legislation.
The code introduces new standards for the protection of natural resources, including refining the code for stream setbacks and wildlife habitat protections. Additionally, the code streamlines the review process for accessory dwelling units, reducing the review process from a public hearing to a simpler limited review.
Eagle County has worked with a contractor to develop an online portal in which citizens can review the updated ECLUR and provide comments on specific sections. The newly drafted ECLUR, which will be continually updated throughout the rewrite project, can be found at www.tinyurl.com/ECLUR A public comment period will close in May and the ECLUR should be adopted in July.
One purpose of the rewrite project is to address housing concerns. According to County Manager Jeff Shroll, the 30-year-old land-use regulations have discouraged developers from pursuing affordable housing projects in Eagle County. According to Commissioner Tom Boyd, the modernized ECLUR will encourage affordable development within urban growth boundaries, while preserving the rural character of much of Eagle County.
“Our valleys do mirror each other in different ways, and at the same time we face different challenges,” reflected Boyd. “Although we may not have exactly the same housing strategies … hopefully what we’re coming to today is that the spirit of all these regulations and documents are aligned.”