Blanding Mayor resigns, city talks airport leases

by David Boyle
News Director
Blanding Mayor Trevor Olsen resigned as Mayor of the town at the August 11 meeting of the Blanding City Council.
Olsen’s letter of resignation, which was read at the meeting, said he is stepping down effective immediately to pursue a new professional opportunity outside of Blanding, referencing communication with the city back in July.
Olsen expressed gratitude to the council, city staff and city residents, saying it was an honor and a privilege to serve as Mayor.
With the vacancy, the town will seek applicants for the open role, with the intent to conduct public interviews and appoint a successor during the city council’s second meeting in September.
The appointee will serve through December 2027. Municipal elections are scheduled for November 2027 with the mayoral candidate chosen at that election set to fill out the original term through 2029.
At the meeting, City Manager Pratt Redd presented a proposal to change how the city charges for utilities on unoccupied properties.
Now, inactive properties pay a “stub fee” of $4 per month, which Redd says creates a disincentive for owners to maintain or rent out viable homes.
Redd added that abandoned homes with functional utility lines could contribute more to the system's maintenance.
The staff proposal would create a four-tier system. Class One properties would be active properties paying standard base and consumption rates.
Class Two properties would include structurally sound but unoccupied buildings with infrastructure. Instead of the $4 stub fee, those properties would pay the full base rate, about $18 a month.
Class Three properties would be vacant lots where utilities are capped at the property line, those would maintain a $4 monthly charge.
Finally Class Four would be surrendered properties where the owners pay nothing but must pay full impact fees to reconnect to utilities in the future.
Council members seemed encouraged by the proposal with the Class Two designation seen as a way to ensure that utility companies remain self-sustaining rather than subsidized by taxpayers.
Members of the council also held another discussion regarding lease rates for the 16 hangars at the airport.
At the start of the meeting, Council Member Chris Ewald declared a conflict of interest as an airport business owner.
City staff shared a study prepared by Grand Junction company that placed a fair market rental rate at $3.50 per square foot for properties up to 1,400 square feet and $2.50 per square foot for properties over 1,400 square feet.
Among the comparable airports listed are airports like Walden, CO and Delta, CO. But Ewald noted his concerns with the study, in particular other airports referenced including St George, Canyonlands Field Airport in Moab and Rifle, CO.
Ewald noted the size, hangar amenities and financial makeup of the communities make them not an ideal comparison for the study.
Ewald also advocated to keep rates as low as possible to help the airport succeed, while acknowledging the need to protect FAA grant assurances.
As part of discussions Redd said a possible contract stipulations could require vehicles in city hangars to be airworthy. Renters would have time to get their projects airworthy to encourage enters with usable aircraft. There was a standby list of around five at the meeting.
City staff prefers that the town raise hangar rental rates to be competitive and keep those rates for some time, up to a decade, to keep rents at known rates.
The city plans to consult an FAA attorney to ensure new rate structures remain compliant with federal regulations.
City Financial Director James Francom's report praised the city’s new electronic meter systems that track water, gas and electric meters in the city.
The city is in the process of installing the meters purchased but they’ve been good to provide readings and allow the city to pinpoint issues or alert property owners if there’s excessive readings for example in water which could indicate a line break.
Redd noted that the system was especially helpful on July 30, when lightning struck a city power line. At that time, software instantly identified specific meters affected and allowed crews to restore power an hour faster than using prior methods.