HIGHLIGHTS, Oct. 15, 2018, County Commissioner meeting

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  • Commissioners signed a resolution giving the go-ahead to apply for a Great Outdoors Colorado grant for a regional trail through the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area. Commissioners said they would commit up to $125,000 in matching funds toward the project, which includes a planning phase and engineering feasibility studies. The studies will examine a long-discussed idea of creating a regional trail system connecting Mesa, Delta and Montrose counties for outdoor recreational purposes.
     
    • The Delta County Board of Realtors (DCBoR) talked with Commissioners about the area’s current real estate market. They report that while three-and-a-half percent fewer homes have sold so far this year, the dollar value of property sold has increased by five percent. The average listing was reported to be just over 110 days but inventories are low with homes selling at ninety-seven percent of their listing price. Retirees and pre-retirees comprise the largest buying segment and a substantial number of North Fork buyers are paying cash. The commercial market remains down but DCBoR is seeing signs that indicate this may be changing. Rising interest rates don’t seem to be affecting home sales and, in fact, may be increasing sales because it’s causing some people to jump in before further increases.
     
    • The Technical College of the Rockies asked Commissioners for $7,000 in funding for a matching state grant opportunity. The college wants to provide a $30,000 grant pool for eligible students using the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, a state program that gives colleges $3 for every $1 raised.
     
    • Commissioners agreed to opt-in to the Marijuana Black Market Enforcement Grant Program, which provides grant funding to help law enforcement investigate and DA offices prosecute illegal marijuana cultivation and distribution operations. These are state funds that come through marijuana sales tax and are earmarked for communities that don’t allow commercial marijuana sales but are impacted.