LOCAL NEWS: Montrose City Council members recently passed the city’s 2026 budget. The city’s total budgeted appropriations is roughly $168.9 million, a big jump from 2025’s nearly $112 million budget. The city’s operations will cost roughly the same; however, staff noted that the nearly $41 million public works facility explains the difference between the two budgets. Another $5 million each is budgeted toward general major street improvement projects and the Rio Grande extension and roundabout project. More on this story at montrosepress.com
Beginning this week, all Montrose Board of County Commissioners meetings will be held at the newly renovated Historic Montrose County Courthouse, located at 320 S. 1st Street in Montrose. A work session is scheduled for Wednesday, December 3 at 2:00 p.m. The following morning, Thursday, December 4 at 9:00 a.m., the Board of County Commissioners will convene for its regular meeting, which will begin with the swearing-in of Commissioner Kirstin Copeland by Judge Jackson.
Ouray City Council approved a $16.8 million budget for 2026, leaving a handful of vacant jobs unfilled and slashing capital projects in anticipation of a potential economic downturn. The city will not fill a public works maintenance operator position, and a customer service associate position at Box Cañon Falls Park and business coordinator position at the Ouray Hot Springs Pool will be combined into a recreation supervisor job. At city hall, two positions — a deputy clerk and customer service associate — will be combined into one. More at ouraynews.com
The City of Delta will host a “groundbreaking ceremony” at 11 a.m. on Wednesday dedicating a new community solar array that will add about 875 kW of local renewable power to Delta’s municipal grid. The public is invited to attend the ceremony at the former Horse Country Arena site at 201 Kellogg St. According to a press release, the project is the result of a partnership between Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN), a City of Delta wholesale provider, and Sandhills Energy, a renewable energy agency based in Omaha, Nebraska.
Montrose County Public Works will implement road closures in three Montrose area locations through January 5, 2026, in order to replace three large culverts. The road closure locations are Cedar Road at Carnation Road 6450 Road at Kayla Trail and 6250 Road, 930 feet south of Highway 90/Oak Grove Road. Drivers are encouraged to plan alternate routes and follow posted signage during this period.
STATE NEWS: Colorado launched a new online tool to help developers apply for affordable housing funding. It’s called Housing Hub Colorado. The site is designed to be a central location where affordable housing developers can find information and resources around public funding. That will eventually include a common application for multiple local, state and federal tax credits planned for next year. The initiative is being led by the governor’s office, several state agencies and the city and county of Denver.
Colorado election officials have opened an investigation into Republican State Representative Ron Weinberg for allegedly violating campaign finance laws. The investigation was launched last week, according to a document from the Secretary of State’s office. Fellow House Republican, Representative Brandi Bradley, filed the complaint in August, claiming Weinberg made thousands of dollars in illegal transactions using campaign funds. The alleged expenses include hotel rooms, clothing, haircuts, cigars and political donations.
The Colorado Department of Corrections says it will not transfer former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters into federal custody, as requested by the Trump administration. In a statement, the Department says transfer requests must come from the state, not an outside entity. The statement came hours after Colorado’s county clerks reiterated calls for Governor Polis to reject the request. Polis has not said whether he supports or opposes a transfer. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Secretary of State Jena Griswold have come out against moving Peters to federal prison.
REGIONAL NEWS: A group of Native American tribes in Arizona and California voted last month to give the Colorado River the same legal rights as a person. As KUNC’s Scott Franz reports, the goal of the designation is to protect the waterway for future generations.
Every year, hundreds of Indigenous riders from across the country compete at the Indian National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. For the Mountain West News Bureau, Jimmy Romo has more from this year’s competition.
