A group of Missouri Heights residents who are opposing the 93-home Hunt Ranch development are accusing two Carbondale town officials of having a conflict of interest for working as private consultants on the project.

Community Development Director Doug Dotson, in his capacity as a private planning consultant, is part of the planning team for the Hunt Ranch LLC, which has a subdivision proposal for the 561-acre parcel north of Highway 82 currently before the Garfield County Planning Commission.

Likewise, the town’s contract attorney, Mark Hamilton, through the legal firm of Holland & Hart, is also working on the project.

“I think it’s a serious conflict of interest that needs to be addressed,” Susan Edmonds,
who resides near the proposed project, said during the public comment portion of Tuesday night’s Carbondale town council meeting.

Another neighbor, Becky Chase, said it’s curious that the town has not made a formal comment on such a large proposal that, even though it’s outside of Carbondale,
could have an impact on the town.

“Ethically, this looks very funny to me,” she said. “This is a proposal that will take us
from a rural community to an urban community.”

Added Rob Tobias, another area resident, “We’re fighting for our quality of life, and it
doesn’t feel right to be fighting town staff. It seems to be a clear conflict of interest,
and I think it’s unconscionable.”

Because Hunt Ranch is outside Carbondale’s three-mile area of influence, the
county did not automatically afford the town an opportunity to formally comment on
the proposal, Town Manager Tom Baker said.

However, the town’s Planning & Zoning Commission is to receive a briefing on the
proposal from a staff member other than Dotson, and may decide to issue an informal
comment on the development and its possible impacts to the town, he said.

That has yet to happen. “Doug will not be involved in that discussion,” Baker said.

Baker said Dotson’s employment agreement with the town allows for outside
consulting, as long as it is not in direct conflict with town business. And Hamilton, as a
contract employee of the town with his own private practice, is also allowed to do
work outside of town business.

Still, the trustees would like to review the policy regarding town employees engaging
in outside work. However, they did not respond directly to the claims made Tuesday.

“Certainly, this is something we will look into,” Mayor Michael Hassig said. “But it’s
not our policy to respond to these things immediately.”

Added Trustee John Foulkrod, “I think we do need to take a look at this and define the
parameter for town employees to work outside the town’s realm.”