During its regular meeting held on Tuesday, Aug. 18, the Pagosa Springs Town Council heard a presentation from Joey McLiney, the town’s municipal advisor, on what the town has accomplished over the last 24 months.
“In the last 24 months, you guys have accomplished unbelievable things for a town of 2,000 [people],” McLiney said.
He explained that, over the last 24 months, the town has been dealing with a major sewer project and coming up with ways to finance emergency needs.
He added that during that time the town began fixing things “that have been kicked down the road” for the past 30 years.
He mentioned that over the course of tackling urgent issues related to the town’s sewer system, instead of taking on a “massive amount of debt,” town voters approved a sales tax, with 76 percent approving the ballot measure.
“That doesn’t happen,” McLiney said in reference to the percent of voters who supported the sales tax measure.
He added that is the “town telling you they trust you.”
McLiney explained that by passing the sales tax measure, the town was able to stop the escalation of sewer rates, “which was a huge problem.”
He also commented on sales tax collections, indicating the town will receive approximately $3 million this year and close to $4 million “if it goes back to the mean.”
McLiney explained that the town is now eligible for low-interest loans to be paid back through sales tax collections.
“We’re also eligible for loan forgiveness,” he stated.
McLiney also spoke about the town’s efforts on housing, noting the town has “secured workforce housing.”
He explained that, originally, the town was looking at a project which would’ve cost roughly $26 million, and held the town liable for $24 million of that.
“You were able to do almost the exact same thing,” he said, noting a project that will cost roughly $8 million.
“I’ve been in this business for 35 years; I’ve never had a single community — no matter the size — do what you’ve done in 24 months,” McLiney said.
Mayor Shari Pierce commended the work done by McLiney and town staff.
McLiney offered more comments on the town’s housing projects, explaining that he actually pushed back on most of the housing stuff.
“I didn’t want you to be in the housing business” or the real estate business, he said. “And the path you were heading was the real estate business.”
He commented that the town was essentially able to buy “50-cent dollars,” noting that is almost unheard of in the housing business.
“That’s just smart,” he added.
Council member Brooks Lindner also thanked McLiney for his work.
“Sometimes it’s difficult in this position to take a step back and think about what has actually been accomplished and our role in it,” Lindner said.
Town Manager David Harris also provided a sales tax report to the council, explaining that in June the town was about 1.79 percent over compared to collections in the same time period in 2025.
He also explained that over the last 12 months the town’s sales tax collections are just over flat and “barely eking along there.”
clayton@pagosasun.com
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