The Glenwood Springs City Council approved Thursday a one-year pilot for an employer-based rental assistance program for businesses in city limits. The program, designed to reduce commuting and provide relief for cost-burdened renters, passed in a 5-1 vote, with Councilor Jonathan Godes voting in opposition.

“I think the school district has over 100 units of employee housing for their teachers and staff. Valley View has $400 million in reserves and they’re building housing downvalley, which contributes to traffic here,” Godes said. “In all of this conversation, we do not do anything for our employees for the city of Glenwood Springs. Maybe it’s a larger conversation. It just bums me out, because every other entity does.”

The pilot program will receive $125,000 from the city’s 2C lodging tax to fund its first year. The goal is to assist employees who spend more than 30% of their income on rent, a threshold that classifies households as cost-burdened.

To qualify, employees must work at least 32 hours per week for an eligible employer within Glenwood Springs and live, or plan to live, within city limits. The program’s regulations aim to reduce commuting, support local businesses, and improve quality of life. Reyes explained how the program might help reduce traffic in the Glenwood Springs area.

“The idea behind this program is to bring people closer to where their jobs are. These jobs already exist, right? We’re not adding new jobs as part of this program,” Housing Development Manager Kevin Reyes said. “So what we’re doing is trying to reduce those trips so that people can live closer to their jobs.”

A key condition of the pilot program is that only one employee per business may participate. This restriction is intended to prevent larger employers, such as the school district or hospital, from dominating the program.

“We didn’t want to create a situation where an employer who happens to know about this program before another employer gets an advantage,” Reyes said.

Mayor Ingrid Wussow supported the program but suggested revisiting prioritization after the pilot period.

“I hear your request and I’m absolutely supportive of it, until you add in the piece that it’s one per employee,” Wussow said. “If it feels like the bigger employers are disproportionately hovering over this opportunity, I would encourage us to look differently at it when we come back after the pilot program.”

Reyes emphasized that the program aligns with the city’s strategic housing goals. Data from the city’s housing plan shows 78% of Glenwood Springs workers commute from outside the city, and 44% of renters are cost-burdened. The program seeks to reduce these numbers by encouraging workers to live closer to their jobs.

“This program is what we’re looking for, and I think it’ll work,” Councilor Marco Dehm said. “I’m in full support.”