All Carbondale trustees were present for their final meeting of September, addressing several items indicative of an evolving town.
First, a consent agenda was approved that included approval of minutes, special event permits for the Carbondale Historical Society (Membership Drive, Oct. 3 at True Nature) and English In Action (Fiesta de Tamales, Oct. 25 at The Orchard), liquor license renewals for Jalisco Grill and Cripple Creek Backcountry, accounts payable and an update to the Chacos Park site plan creating a more substantial buffer between the water-play feature and the street as well as removing on-street parking in the 4th Street Plaza area. A contract with Ajax Roofing Company was briefly discussed, addressing damages to Town Hall from a 2023 storm without electrification upgrades as previously intended.
One member of the public had a comment unrelated to agenda items. They claimed to have been sexually assaulted by a roommate in 2020 and said when reported to the police there was a brief arrest but no temporary restraining order. A lawsuit against the alleged perpetrator is being pursued, trustees were informed.
Economic development
The first item on the agenda was an update from Carbondale Arts and the Chamber of Commerce regarding economic development. Both receive financial support from the Town toward this aim. The Chamber of Commerce receives $40,000 and Carbondale Arts receives $30,000 with half earmarked specifically for organizing First Friday festivities. According to Carbondale Arts, the total economic impact for local businesses from their programming is over $6 million, resulting in $211,785 in sales tax the Town collects.
A recent First Friday survey yielded 150 responses. Carbondale Arts Executive Director Jamie Abbott stated they’re taking feedback seriously, including negative feedback. Among the takeaways: a need for more events outside First Friday; more quality lodging for visitors; a centralized calendar for events; improved wayfinding to help visitors navigate. Trustee Ross Kribbs suggested The Launchpad could serve as a visitor center for tourists.
Kade Gianinetti, former owner of the now-closed Painted Pig restaurant, shared his thoughts too, stating that small businesses are struggling due in part to permits taking a long time to acquire and new pressures from the recent code updates.
Carey Shanks, co-founder of Marble Distilling, asked that more of a diversity of businesses be brought to the table going forward. “Arts is one spoke in the hub, and it’’s a big one,” he said. “But there are others all around town.”
Strong Start, Bright Future
Trustees then heard a presentation from Heather Henry, vice president of housing and childcare at Aspen One, and Rob Stein about Ballot Initiative 7A: “Strong Start, Bright Future.” This initiative seeks to address the lack of affordable child care locally with a regional approach, establishing a special taxing district from Parachute to Aspen governed by a five-member board. A .25% sales tax (exempting groceries, gas, medications and diapers) would raise close to $10 million annually toward grants to child care providers, tuition assistance, outreach and administration. With little discussion, trustees voted to endorse the initiative, which will appear on this November’s ballot.
Path to Net Zero
Trustees then met with Lauren Suhrbier, director of strategic development at CLEER, and Jeff Dickinson, president of Biospaces Energy Consulting, for an update on Carbondale’s ambitious Path to Net Zero plan with goals to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2050. Carbondale has collected $15,000 to allocate toward rebates incentivizing energy efficiency upgrades in 2026. CLEER was asked to work on a proposal for administering those funds without adding to the Town Building Department’s workload.
Suhrbier took the opportunity to ask trustees to consider making Carbondale the lead applicant for a Colorado Energy Office Local IMPACT Accelerator Grant on behalf of Garfield Clean Energy, which will see a reduction in funding from Garfield County in 2026. Letters of interest are due by Nov. 17 for up to $200,000 in policy work funding and $1.8 million for implementation. The topic will return for further discussion.
Rate increases
Mountain Waste and Recycling received approval for an annual rate increase of 3.2% in accordance with their contract which bases fee schedule adjustments on the Western Region Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.
The Public Works Department then met regarding the 2026 budget. Public Works Director Kevin Schorzman added $50,000 to the budget for more tactical urbanism trials, including temporary raised crosswalks, as the Town continues exploring features to improve the flow of multimodal traffic. Other big items include updating the Tree Inventory list and installing a crosswalk at Highway 133 and Weant Boulevard. New water meters and wastewater improvements are also in the budget, as well as replacement of a well on the Roaring Fork River.
Trustees were informed that operational costs are outpacing reserve funds in the Utilities Department. In five years, personnel expenses increased by 77% (largely due to medical insurance costs) and construction costs doubled, while rates have only increased by 35%. Staff requested a 10% increase in 2026 while a plan is formulated for future increases to keep pace with costs to “avoid a monumental jump in the future,” in the words of Schorzman. Even with the increase, Carbondale’s utility costs will remain low compared with other municipalities in the Valley, a graph showed.