Rico Planning Commission to Consider Updating Wastewater Treatment Regulations in April

Two ordinances moving through Rico's Town Hall in a single April week would reshape the legal landscape for every property owner in a community of 288: one rewriting wastewater standards that have stood since 2017, the other formally classifying the entire town as a Class 2 wildfire hazard.

The Rico Planning Commission addressed the first measure at its April 8 session, when commissioners considered forwarding a recommendation on Ordinance No. 2026-02 to the Board of Trustees. The ordinance would repeal the existing on-site wastewater rules adopted in 2017 and replace them with updated On-Site Wastewater Treatment System Regulations under the Rico Land Use Code. For a compact mountain town with constrained infrastructure and a growing short-term rental market, the standards governing septic and on-site systems carry real weight: they determine what property owners must install or upgrade when building, expanding, or changing a use.

The more immediately actionable item arrives Wednesday. The Rico Board of Trustees is scheduled to convene April 15 at 7:00 p.m. at Town Hall, 2 Commercial St., for the second reading of Ordinance 2026-01, which carries a Class 2 wildfire hazard designation for Rico. Staff flagged the designation in February as consequential for insurance, property development, and community safety planning across the town's forested San Juan Mountain terrain. That session, led by Mayor Patrick Fallon, is the final formal public hearing before a vote on adoption.

Residents who want to weigh in before the vote still have time. The April 15 packet, posted the Wednesday prior to each meeting, should already be available through the town's website. Written comments can be directed to Town Manager Chauncey McCarthy at townmanager@ricocolorado.gov, who serves as the principal staff liaison for both the Planning Commission and the Board of Trustees. The meeting is also accessible by video-conference for those who cannot attend in person.

The two ordinances are moving on overlapping tracks. The wildfire measure cleared Planning Commission review in March and is now on its second and likely final reading at the Board level. The wastewater ordinance, having just reached the Planning Commission stage, will follow a similar path; under Rico's Land Use Code, the Board must act on a Planning Commission recommendation within 35 days of a Final Plat approval, though ordinance timelines can vary.

Rico's regulatory decisions carry weight disproportionate to its size. The town of 288 people was once home to nearly 5,000 silver miners at its 1892 peak, when the arrival of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad transformed the Pioneer Mining District into a regional hub complete with 23 saloons, a bank, and a theater. Today, every infrastructure and land-use choice filters through a far smaller tax base, making the outcome of April's twin ordinance hearings consequential for current property owners, potential developers, and the long-term character of one of Colorado's smallest incorporated mountain communities.