Rico survey seeks resident input on infrastructure and tax support

Rico is asking property owners and residents to help decide which infrastructure projects move ahead next, and how much of the cost the community is willing to carry through local taxes. The town says the survey is part of its master plan update and is meant to guide decisions on capital improvements, operations and maintenance, and the tradeoffs that come with a small tax base.

The town homepage says, “The Town of Rico is beginning its Master Plan update,” and invites people to share their thoughts on the future of the community by completing the survey. That effort builds on the Rico Regional Master Plan adopted in 2004, a planning document shaped by public meetings, opinion surveys and studies. It also comes as the town has open Planning Commission seats and is accepting letters of interest and qualifications, giving residents another direct route into the planning process. The Planning Commission meets the second Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. at Rico Town Hall, where public attendance and comments are welcome.

The survey is not just asking which projects sound good on paper. It is also asking how much support exists for paying for them. The town’s survey materials walk residents through the difference between appraised value, actual value, assessed value and mill levy, and explain how property taxes are calculated. That matters in Rico, where the board is weighing road, utility and public-building needs against what homeowners can reasonably afford.

The fiscal backdrop is tight. Town budget documents dated Oct. 8, 2025, said the state-required deadline for adopting the 2026 budget and certifying the mill levy was Dec. 15. The 2026 budget summary projected about $320,000 in 2025 sales tax collections, then budgeted 2026 sales tax revenue at $276,000. Property tax revenue was based on a 2026 assessed valuation of $9,618,327 and estimated at about $125,000. The same budget said water and sewer infrastructure planning and upgrades were a primary focus, while the town had no new building permits in 2025 and expected two new homes in 2026.

Town work-plan materials from January 2026 sharpened that picture. Officials identified goals to reactivate the Silver Creek water system and repair or replace a third storage water tank, with an earlier summer 2022 estimate putting that tank work at $250,000. The plan said state revolving funds, grants and possible federal funding would be needed to offset the project’s cost.

Rico voters already approved a mill-levy and sales-tax restructuring in the Nov. 4, 2025 election to support the Street Reconstruction and Maintenance Fund. A December 2025 board packet said the implementation ordinance formalized those voter-approved changes to the town’s property tax and sales tax structure, including raising the Street Fund mill levy from 1.785 mills to 7.785 mills. In a town of 288 people, with Dolores County totaling 2,326 residents in the 2020 Census, each infrastructure choice reaches a small number of taxpayers and a long list of public needs.