Dolores County agenda includes resolution opposing SB26-097, Rico ambulance discussion

Dolores County’s Board of County Commissioners published an agenda for its Monday, Feb. 23 meeting that includes a formal resolution listed as "02-26-05 OPPOSING COLORADO SENATE BILL SB26-097 DECRIMINALIZING ADULT COMMERCIAL SEXUAL ACTIVITY" and an agenda item placing "a discussion and possible action" on a Rico ambulance-license. The agenda posting does not include the full text of the resolution or staff reports in the excerpt provided; the year of the Feb. 23 meeting is not specified in the published snippet.

The county posting raises immediate procedural questions for residents: who sponsored the resolution, whether the commissioners will vote to adopt it, and what specific regulatory or policy steps would follow if adopted. The agenda notation about the Rico ambulance-license signals potential action affecting emergency medical service authorization for Rico; the published excerpt is truncated and does not show whether the item is a preliminary discussion or a vote to grant, deny, or amend a license.

Mesa County’s Board of Commissioners provides a nearby precedent for county-level action on controversial public-policy issues. On May 14, 2024, Mesa County adopted a resolution opposing creation of the Dolores Canyons National Monument, filed as Dolores Canyon National Monument Opposition Resolution_0.pdf. That resolution responded to the Protect the Dolores Coalition’s initiative to designate approximately 390,000 acres as a national monument that would span parts of Mesa, Montrose, and San Miguel counties.

Opposition to the proposed monument in Mesa County material identifies a coalition named "Halt the Dolores" and cites potential impacts on outdoor recreation, agriculture, and mining as reasons for resistance. Mesa County’s coverage references a survey of 1,272 residents showing 72% in favor of conserving public lands but 60% opposed to the national monument designation; the reported reasons for opposing included concerns over increased restrictions, desire for local control, and potential negative impacts on the local economy and environment.

Mesa County also references tools and outreach material that Dolores County residents may want to consult: a Dolores Canyons mapping tool to view current management layers, roads, and boundaries for the monument and National Conservation Area proposals, with a note that some layers are data-heavy and scale dependent, and a presentation made to the Board of County Commissioners that stakeholders can watch. The Mesa County materials cited do not include the full survey methodology or the raw survey instrument in the supplied excerpt.

What residents can do now: review the full Dolores County agenda packet and request the complete text of resolution "02-26-05 OPPOSING COLORADO SENATE BILL SB26-097 DECRIMINALIZING ADULT COMMERCIAL SEXUAL ACTIVITY," and ask county staff for the full agenda language and supporting documents on the Rico ambulance-license item. Watch Mesa County’s recorded presentation and consult the Dolores Canyons mapping tool to see how a 390,000-acre proposal would overlap county boundaries. If you have documents, firsthand accounts, or photos related to the Rico ambulance-license or county resolutions, share them with our newsroom so we can follow up and report vote outcomes and county responses.