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The Garfield County Board of County Commissioners.

Garfield County letter demands end to federal shutdown

Operation Green Light celebrated Nov. 4-11; BOCC hears South Bridge presentation

PRESS RELEASE
November 5, 2025

Garfield County has submitted a letter to U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet demanding “immediate action to bring the federal government back to full operation and to vote to fully reopen government funding.” The letter stresses that critical programs, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), must be funded immediately.

“These are not discretionary services – they are lifelines,” the letter states. “The ongoing impasse in Washington is directly harming the people you were elected to serve.”

More than 4,000 Garfield County residents (including 172 unhoused adults) are currently receiving SNAP benefits and approximately 750 homes (roughly 1,400 clients) are served by WIC.

The letter stressed that the demand isn’t political in nature and urged the Senators to “act without delay to reopen the federal government and restore full operational funding to SNAP, WIC, and all other programs that keep Colorado families safe, healthy, and fed.”

“We are in a situation for almost a month now where federal employees have been furloughed and aren’t being paid,” said Commissioner Tom Jankovsky. “This has really hurt federal employees and now we are looking at the loss of SNAP benefits for nearly 4,000 individuals in Garfield County, 172 of which are homeless, and 750 households that could be losing WIC benefits. … We’re headed into a situation where the most vulnerable individuals in our community are being harmed by this.”

Garfield County Human Services Director Sharon Longhurst-Pritt told the Board of County Commissioners that the State of Colorado is distributing $10 million in food assistance through food banks, with each county’s allotment based on population. On average, Garfield County receives roughly $750,000 a month for SNAP alone.

“I don’t anticipate that this $10 million is going to fund our local food banks very much, but every little bit helps,” she said. “It’s just not going to make a huge dent for the individuals who rely monthly on those benefits, which are close to $750,000 and can reach $800,000 in some months.”

Longhurst-Pritt added that it can take up to seven days for benefits to be loaded into Colorado Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card accounts.

“So, as of Nov. 1, individuals didn’t get their cards loaded and the longer it takes for those funds to be released, the longer individuals go without food assistance,” she said.

The letter was approved unanimously by the board, 3-0.

“It’s not about political maneuvering, it’s about fundamental human dignity,” Jankovsky read from the letter. “The people of Garfield County are watching. They expect their Senators to stand up for them and not allow their rights and well-being to be held hostage by partisan stalemate.”

County celebrates Operation Green Light
Garfield County has issued a proclamation supporting Operation Green Light, which honors veterans during the week of November 4-11, 2025. During this time, Garfield County has added green lighting to the county courthouse in Glenwood Springs as a show of support for our nation’s veterans and for celebrating Veterans Day.

“This is the fifth anniversary of Operation Green Light, and we want to honor our veterans in Garfield County and around the country,” said Commissioner Perry Will. “Around 3,100 counties, parishes, and boroughs across the United States are showing support for our veterans by lighting our buildings in green.”

The proclamation focuses on the week “as a time to salute and honor the service and sacrifices of those transitioning from active service” and encourages citizens to recognize the importance of our veterans and to celebrate this patriotic tradition.

The proclamation was approved unanimously, 3-0.

Glenwood Springs presents South Bridge update to the board
The City of Glenwood Springs made a presentation on the proposed South Bridge project to the Board of County Commissioners, outlining changes in the plan including removing a planned tunnel from under the Glenwood Springs Municipal Airport, switching to a steel girder bridge design, and eliminating a sidewalk from the south side.

Glenwood Springs Mayor Marco Dehm told the board that he felt the current proposed project was superior to any plan presented in the past.

“We are not here to ask for any funding, we are not here to ask for any favors or any other resources, we’re simply here to inform you of the iteration we have at this point of our South Bridge project,” he said.

City staff added that it estimates the changes will cut the cost of the project by $30 million and eliminate between six and nine months of construction time.

Commissioner Jankovsky voiced concerns over the prospect of condemning private or county land to secure the access needed to connect South Bridge to an intersection on Highway 82.

“The proposed bridge would be located on unincorporated county property and you’re running your road out to an intersection that’s also in unincorporated Garfield County,” he said. “Garfield County doesn’t want to own that bridge and we don’t want to own the road to the intersection, so, we’d like to see that annexed into the city.”

Jankovsky stressed the importance of Holy Cross Energy and the Jackson family ranch, both of which would be impacted by the project.

“Holy Cross is an institution within Garfield County and it’s very important to us, and the Jacksons are pillars of our community,” he said. “I’ve lived in Garfield County for more than 40 years and I’ve known the Jackson family for more than 40 years and I have philosophical concerns about condemning their property.”

Glenwood Springs Public Works Director Matt Langhorst said that the city’s goal is to make all parties happy and improve the safety of the area. He added that the city plans to connect to an existing road on the Holy Cross campus and the project includes a large turnaround for Holy Cross to utilize.

“We’re providing them with a much safer access,” he said. “We think this is a benefit to everyone. It may be a detriment as a condemnation process, but even the Jackson ranch access is [dangerous]. Now we’ll have a stoplight, acceleration and deceleration lanes, and a very gradual access into the ranch. Yes, we are taking some of the property, but it’s a very small section of the property and we’re hoping that the benefits to everyone are significant enough that this can be a friendly process.”

Commissioner Mike Samson thanked the city for presenting to the board and echoed Commissioner Jankovsky’s concerns on condemnation of private property.

“We’re talking about an institution in this valley. I may be from Rifle, but I know about the Jackson ranch, and it’s been here for many years,” he said. “I really beseech you to have a friendly condemnation, if it comes to that, and I hope it doesn’t come to that. I hope and pray that this can be amenable to both sides to accomplish this project. I don’t like the idea of you condemning their property.”