News Now Blog

Citizens, county officials, and county employees got their first glimpse of what 2010 holds for Fremont County as the Board of Commissioners presented the draft of the county's 2010 budget at Tuesday's regular board meeting. County Manager George Sugars said the budget document follows several weeks of budget reviews by the Board after other elected officials and department heads submitted their budget requests. Sugars said the county is presenting a balanced budget for next year calling it a very conservative budget while trying to minimize the impact to county employees.

Fremont County Sheriff Jim Beicker detailed his department's most recent efforts to deal with 2009 budget shortfalls at the Board of County Commissioners regular meeting on October 13th. Beicker spoke about his cost cutting efforts after the Commissioners requested that the Sheriff make a presentation at the public meeting as part of the 2010 budget reviews.

The Fremont County Tourism Council is accepting applications from community organizations for 2010 tourism funding allocations. Community organizations and non-profit groups that conduct special events which attract tourists and visitors to the area are invited to submit applications for funding assistance. The Tourism Council by-laws require that at least five percent of Fremont County lodging tax revenues each year be distributed to community groups to support their special events.

The Fremont County Board of Commissioners is accepting letters of interest from persons interested in appointments to the Fremont County Planning Commission and the Fremont County Board of Zoning Adjustment.

A public hearing on an amendment to the Fremont County Master Plan highlights a busy agenda for the October 6th monthly meeting of the Fremont County Planning Commission. The 4th Amendment to the Master Plan is intended to clarify the process, deadlines, and proposed fees for future citizen initiated amendments to the Master Plan. The change would also allow the Planning Commission to first determine if the amendment application is appropriate and meets the requirements before the Planning Department begins its' review.

A Canon City developer who complained about difficulties in dealing with city and county regulations told the Fremont County Commissioners that he was withdrawing his request for final approval of a final plat for a five lot subdivision.

The August 25th regular meeting of the Fremont County Board of Commissioners found the commissioners placing a sales tax question on the November ballot, awarding a pair of bids for work at Pathfinder Regional Park, and approving a new map outlining the City of Canon City's urban growth boundaries.

Residents of North Canon were told last week that the long awaited project to extend sanitary sewer lines to 176 residences is expected to be under construction in September. Recently retired Fremont Sanitation District Manager George Medaris, who is working on the project as a consultant, said contracts are being finalized to use federal stimulus funds to pay off a $2 million loan through the Colorado Water and Power Development Authority.