How will local elections, a changing climate and Trump administration policies affect La Plata County in 2026?
No one can predict the future. But based on current trends and events already in motion, these stories and others are sure to make headlines this year.
Without further ado, here’s a look at what readers may expect to see in 2026.
Immigration task force
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity across Southwest Colorado has shaken the immigrant community. In Durango, immigrants are nervous about going to work and sending their children to school – not knowing if or when federal immigration officers will show up – according to immigration advocates and family members of those detained.
Concerned residents turned to Durango City Council last year for official action to support the immigrant community. Councilors and city officials were hesitant to get involved, citing possible retaliation – such as the withholding of funding – from the federal government.
Compañeros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center asked councilors to create an immigration task force to explore ways the city can support the immigrant community, which councilors appeared open to considering.
In November, the city’s Community and Cultural Relations Commission was charged with developing the task force. What recommendations it may bring to City Council remain to be seen.
Joint city hall and police station
Construction on a new joint city hall and police station at the historic former high school at 201 E. 12th St. and the former Big Picture High School building next door is scheduled to begin in July 2026.
The project is expected to be completed by October 2028, assuming it doesn’t hit any major snags.
According to Artaic Group, a management firm helping the city navigate construction, initial cost estimates should be available in February or March 2026 after schematic designs are completed.
Artaic Group’s rough timeline shows city hall employees could move into the new location as early as October 2027. Durango Police Department could be moving into the Big Picture High School building as early as July 2028, with other project elements – including an underground parking garage – to be completed by October 2028.
Ed Aber trial
Former La Plata County Jail Cmdr. Ed Aber is scheduled to appear at a pretrial hearing in the La Plata County Courthouse at 9 a.m. Monday. He faces 117 counts of invasion of privacy for allegedly viewing thousands of strip search videos of female inmates in secret. The footage provided up-close views of the inmates’ private parts.
In July, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation found that Aber had used his administrative position at the jail to view the footage for his own sexual gratification.
He allegedly watched the footage between 2019 and 2024, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. He was placed on administrative leave in July 2024 after reports of his sexual misconduct were received. He resigned before any charges were filed, and the CBI investigation began in January 2025.
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Durango Police Department’s Flock Safety camera use subject of community scrutiny
Flock Safety – an artificial intelligence-powered surveillance technology company best known for its “license plate reader” cameras that photograph every vehicle that passes – has become a point of concern for residents in Durango. Some residents are calling for the cameras to be taken down.
The Durango Police Department bought 21 Flock cameras that Chief Brice Current said contribute to precise and preventive policing. Community members are concerned about privacy violations and the potential for government abuse.
Current said DPD removed 60 agencies from its data-sharing network after community members pointed out the agencies have collaborative agreements with ICE.
Fort Lewis College installed three cameras of its own in September. A spokesperson said it only shares its Flock data with “trusted local law enforcement partners” like DPD, La Plata County and Grand Junction Police Department. The college’s decision to purchase cameras was made after incidents such as arson and vehicle theft occurred on the campus.
City Council members told the Herald more discussion about the cameras is warranted.
Residents attended a virtual town hall featuring the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and the founder of DeFlock.me last year where speakers encouraged outreach to elected officials and records requests for Flock information as the national movement against Flock Safety grows.
Construction to begin on new Durango School District Three Springs elementary school
Construction is set to begin on the new Durango School District Three Springs elementary school in the new year, with doors set to open in 2028.
The one-story, 70,000-square-foot school, which will replace Florida Mesa Elementary, is set to be built off Wilson Gulch Drive in the Three Springs subdivision.
Ambitious plans include three classrooms for each grade and two multipurpose flex classrooms; extensive playground concepts designed to fit into the existing landscape; porches extending off each classroom for outdoor learning; and an entrance that doubles as a multipurpose hangout zone, makerspace and library.
Florida Mesa Elementary Principal Andrea Guttormson and Vice Principal James Dusman will be overseeing the transition to the new school, and will remain in their positions there once it opens.
The district has plans to turn the Florida Mesa Elementary building into a hub for technical career education, according to district spokesperson Karla Sluis.
District D Board of Education seat left open after midterm board member resignation
The Durango School District Board of Education District D seat left open by Katie Stewart, who announced her resignation in December, will be filled by appointment in the new year. Details are set to be discussed at the board’s Jan. 13 work session at Riverview Elementary School. The board will have 60 days from the work session to appoint a new member to represent District D.
Stewart has served on the board since September 2021. She took over for Andrea Parmenter, who had to shift to a board seat in District E after moving. No formal election was held for the District D seat in 2023 because Stewart was unopposed.
She was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives for House District 59 in November 2024 and has been serving in the role since January 2025. She cited wanting to focus on her role in the Legislature as her reason for stepping down.
Durango School District will convert apartments in Lightner Creek area into employee housing
Durango School District purchased 35 apartments at Lightner Creek Village to serve as affordable housing for staff members and educators beginning in fall 2026.
The apartments, located at 20310 U.S. Highway 160, aim to address the district’s recruitment and housing challenges, said district spokeswoman Karla Sluis. The purchase cost was a cool $10 million, and was one of the largest by unit count purchases among school districts in Colorado, she said.
Studios and one- and two-bedroom units will be available, Chief Operations Officer Chris Coleman said.
Preliminary rent estimates for a studio apartment ranged from $700 to $800 per month, Coleman told the Herald in September – more than $500 less than the average cost for a studio in Durango, according to recent data from Apartments.com.
Is Whole Foods joining the Durango business scene?
A large organic grocery store – possibly a Whole Foods – and 230 to 270 apartment units may be taking over 165,000 square feet of the Durango Mall at 800 South Camino del Rio.
The proposed project was first discussed at a Dec. 4 Community Development Commission study session. The plan would involve the Kensington Development Group, LLC demolishing a large portion of the mall to build a 25,000 square foot grocery store and hundreds of apartment units. The mall’s 94,400-square-foot northern section, which is home to retail tenants with long-term leases, would not be affected, according to the unofficial plan.
The proposed plan drew pushback from some residents and small-business owners, who said the big-box store could cause a detrimental drop in business for locally owned stores.
City spokesman Tom Sluis told the Herald in December that the proposal was in “pre-application” status, and that the development group had not purchased the Durango Mall, finalized a tenant list or submitted an official development plan.
What impact will Trump's ‘No Tax on Tips’ provision have on local workers?
Durango relies heavily on its service industry, including bartenders and restaurant workers. President Donald Trump’s “No Tax on Tips” provision could have a range of impacts on Durango’s workforce and federal funding support for the city.
The No Tax on Tips Act, which has been instituted for tax years 2025 through 2028, lets workers in jobs where tips are common – like bartending and food service – exclude up to $25,000 of their tip income from federal income taxes, increasing their overall take-home pay.
Tips are still subject to Social Security and Medicare contributions, and state and local taxes can still apply; but the amount of federal tax owed can decrease through the bill.
The service sector – which includes jobs that receive tips, such as those in food service – employs about 44% of workers in La Plata County overall, according to a 2024 report from the Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado.
Though the Act means more take-home pay for service workers and higher morale for those working tip-based jobs, those in jobs that don’t usually receive tips – like construction work, cooking or cleaning – won’t experience the same tax break, and small cities like Durango that rely on federal funding could feel indirect strain from the bill.
ICE deportations could have impact on Southwest Colorado labor market
With U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations growing in number across the country – including in the Four Corners – Southwest Colorado's labor market, including agriculture, the service industry and building industries, may feel an impact.
According to a 2025 memorandum from the Legislative Council Staff, a nonpartisan service with the Colorado’s Legislature, immigrants make up around 11.5% of the total labor force in Colorado.
About two-thirds of Colorado’s immigrant population are within the prime working age range of 25 and 54 years old, according to the memorandum – whereas only two-fifths of the native-born population fall within that range.
Immigrants overwhelmingly work in construction, agriculture, leisure and hospitality and service jobs statewide, the memorandum said – industries that are especially vital to the Southwest region.
A 2024 Region 9 Economic Development report found agricultural work accounting for 3% of total employment in La Plata County, construction accounting for 8%, and accommodation and food service accounting for 10%.
Elections
Voters can expect a packed ballot in the 2026 general election. In addition to high-profile national midterm races, nearly all elected positions within La Plata County government are up for reelection in 2026.
District 1 Commissioner Elizabeth Philbrick, who was appointed to replace Clyde Church after his premature resignation, is up for reelection. Philbrick has not formally announced whether she will run for a full term, but early conversations at the start of her tenure suggest she will likely campaign for reelection.
Several other county offices will also be contested, including clerk and recorder, treasurer, assessor, sheriff, surveyor and coroner. As of now, only Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee has formally announced her intent to run for another term.
Budget follow through
Voters’ approval of a countywide sales tax is expected to generate La Plata County an additional $19 million.
For residents, the year will be the first test of whether the new revenue delivers the stability county leaders said it would without expanding the size or scope of county government.
On the campaign trail, commissioners also pledged fiscal restraint and spending transparency and should expect voters to be watching closely to see whether spending decisions align with campaign trail promises.
During the budgeting process, county staff emphasized the need to establish an expenditure structure that could hold over time. The stated goal was to make difficult adjustments now to avoid returning to voters in future years for additional revenue.
Some of the new funding has been earmarked for one-time or unpredictable expenses. The county is in the middle of litigation regarding deaths at the La Plata County Jail, and there may be a need for multiple payouts in 2026.
Work could begin on utility scale battery energy storage facilities
La Plata County commissioners will determine how battery energy storage is able to proceed – which will impact how La Plata Electric Association moves forward with its plan for a BESS facility at the Shenandoah substation.
Commissioners are scheduled to pass new regulations governing battery storage systems in January, which will lift the temporary moratorium placed on BESS construction meant to give county staff time to draft rules addressing safety, siting and oversight concerns raised by residents and utility providers.
The issue has drawn significant public attention, driven in part by LPEA’s plan. Whether the Shenandoah project moves forward will not depend only on the final form of the county’s BESS code, but will likely be subject to an extensive community review process and tense public debate.
Eyes glued to snowpack
Winter is off to a slow start, as snowfall remains sparse across all elevations. It calls for a close watch on the first few months of the new year. If the warmer winter weather and lack of precipitation continues, it could mean less water supply, drought conditions and wildfire risk in the year ahead.
Sparse snowfall has raised concern among water managers, fire officials and the agricultural community, particularly after a demanding fire season fueled in part by prolonged drought and low snowpack. Snow that accumulates in the high country acts as a natural reservoir, slowly releasing water into rivers, soils and reservoirs through spring and early summer.
Flood restoration will need to move at breakneck speed
The massive restoration project at Vallecito Reservoir must be completed within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funding timeline, which requires the cooperation of the local community and the Upper Pine Fire Protection District over the next year.
The most severe damage occurred to the creek channel, where the surge of water carved out a new path. It is an accelerating liability to residents and the ecosystem ahead of spring run-off, making immediate work essential.
Funding for stabilizing the creek bed and restoring the channel is secured through the federal Emergency Watershed Protection grant program. The program is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service in partnership with the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
Upper Pine will sponsor and oversee the project. To receive the funds, they must sign an agreement with the EWP. Once the agreement is finalized, the district will have only 220 days to complete the restoration work.
New town managers for Bayfield, Ignacio
Bayfield and Ignacio both have new town managers heading into 2026.
John Waters was appointed by Bayfield’s town board in July. Formerly, Waters worked for almost seven years as city manager for Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico, which had a lot in common with Bayfield, he said.
As for Ignacio, Weylin Ryan – who formerly worked as Destination Development and Sustainability Strategist for Visit Durango – will take over as town manager in January. He succeeds Mark Garcia in the role.
More housing comes online in Bayfield
More affordable housing could come to Bayfield in 2026.
The Pine River Commons affordable housing development is currently underway, which will add 68 housing units when complete. Additionally, the town has been talking about developing the northeast quadrant of Bayfield for a few years now.
It may soon acquire a second traffic signal, which would usher in a rush of new development that could help alleviate demand for affordable housing and spur commercial development. The key to more development is creating a road on the east side of town that would connect with U.S. Highway 160 near the Conoco gas station and Bayfield Parkway.
Town planners envision commercial development and about 600 single-family and multifamily units, which they have proposed calling the Bayfield East Annexation.
Four town trustee seats up for grabs in April, 2026 election
Four of Bayfield’s town trustees are facing the end of their terms in 2026.
According to Bayfield’s town government board, Mayor Pro Tem Alexis Hartz and trustees Brenna Morlan, Kat Katsos and Lori Zazzaro are all up for reelection next year. No formal statements have been made about whether the four will seek reelection.
