Ngie and I got up to Hogback Mountain, Twin Peaks, and Round Mountain via the PCT southbound from White Pass, and then took the Round Mountain Trail to the other three summits on the way back. We ....

Fire Chief Brett LaRose reported a roughly one‑half acre ground fire on A. Johnson Company land that consumed town resources and drew state and U.S. Forest Service wildland crews; he said crews were "99.9 percent confident the fire had been extinguished."

Public health staffing and the future of Hogback bus service lead this holiday week’s local government agendas. On Tuesday, Mesa County’s health board will review a smaller budget for 2027, while Garfield County commissioners will consider another year of transit support tied to local funding questions going before voters. Most city councils covered in this guide are off this week. But Tuesday’s county meetings also bring decisions on employee compensation, jail medical staffing and stormwater projects, followed by a scheduled Montrose Planning Commission meeting Wednesday. ## Mesa County: Health board reviews staffing and service cuts The Mesa County Board of Public Health meets Tuesday, September 8, at 3 p.m. in Room 1060 of the Health and Human Services Building, 510 29½ Road in Grand Junction. The proposed 2027 budget calls for about $8.18 million in revenue and $8.25 million in spending. A $70,787 withdrawal from reserves would cover the difference, leaving a projected year-end fund balance of about $1.31 million. Compared with the adopted 2026 budget, revenue would decline about 5.5% and spending about 2%. The proposal reduces budgeted staffing by 22.425 full-time equivalents, including vacant positions. That does not necessarily mean 22 employees would lose their jobs. How much of the reduction involves occupied positions, and what it means for services, will be important questions during the presentation. The budget materials identify several sources of financial pressure: a $200,000 reduction in the county’s transfer to public health, the loss of grants for prevention work, childcare licensing and medical-cache operations, and reduced WIC funding. Proposed savings include eliminating clinical laboratory testing and reducing purchased services, supplies and other expenses. A new Department of Veterans Affairs grant would support suicide prevention for veterans. The $733,400 Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant spans September 2026 through September 2027, so its funding crosses two county budget years. Tuesday’s discussion is a review, not final adoption. The proposal is scheduled to go before county commissioners September 22, with the adopted budget returning to the health board November 10. A separate vote would amend the 2026 budget to recognize the first portion of the veterans grant. That amendment adds $183,350 in revenue and $147,864 in spending, including temporary staffing and grants to partner agencies. The board will also receive department updates and annual board-member training. Public comment on non-agenda matters is taken during Unscheduled Business, with the agenda specifying Mesa County residents and a three-minute limit. Meeting agenda and packet ## Garfield County: Hogback support comes with an end in sight Garfield County commissioners meet Tuesday, September 8, at 8 a.m. at the county administration building, 108 Eighth St., Room 100, in Glenwood Springs. The regular meeting moves from Monday because of Labor Day. Commissioners will consider up to $200,000 for Hogback bus service in 2027, with a clear message that Rifle and Silt should prepare for a future without county funding. The draft resolution ties the county’s contribution to commitments by both municipalities to put Hogback funding questions on their 2027 ballots. Those votes would determine whether residents support local funding for service in 2028 and beyond. The route connects Rifle and Silt with New Castle. The county cites declining revenue associated with reduced oil and gas production as a reason for limiting its support. The resolution notes that Garfield County is not a member of the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, which operates Hogback, and describes mass transit as outside the county government’s core functions. The proposal makes no county funding commitment beyond 2027 and says no funding is anticipated in subsequent years. It would offer another year of limited support while leaving the route’s longer-term funding unsettled. ### Employee pay and jail medical costs Commissioners will also consider recommendations for the county’s 2027 employee compensation package and a separate proposed pay structure for the Sheriff’s Office. Another Sheriff’s Office request would add $325,000 for CorrHealth travel and agency-nurse expenses. CorrHealth provides medical care at the county jail. Other business includes consideration of the county’s approximately $4.3 million private activity bond allocation, several airport property agreements and a proposed comment letter to the Bureau of Land Management concerning its December 2026 oil and gas lease sale. The consent agenda includes resolutions for the McClure River Ranch development near Carbondale, Sheriff’s Office body-camera and report-writing software agreements, and a neurofeedback wellness-services contract. Commissioners may approve consent items together or pull individual items for discussion. Public comment on matters outside the agenda is scheduled for 8:05 a.m., with five minutes per speaker. Viewing options are available through the commissioners’ meetings page. September 8 agenda ## Mesa County: Two stormwater decisions Mesa County commissioners meet Tuesday, September 8, at 9 a.m. in the Old Courthouse, 544 Rood Ave., Grand Junction. The first of two items scheduled for individual consideration is an agreement with Housing Resources of Western Colorado for a regional stormwater detention facility associated with the 32½ Road Phase 2 improvement project. It would cover construction, ownership and maintenance of the facility and replace an agreement dating to 2008. The second is an $87,214 change order with Wright Water Engineers for work on the county’s Stormwater Management Manual. It is the second change order on that contract. The September 1 administrative hearing was canceled. Tuesday’s consent agenda contains minutes from the August 25 hearing. The meeting is listed on Zoom under Meeting ID 839 8918 1814. Residents who want to speak remotely should check the county’s public hearing instructions for current signup requirements. September 8 agenda ## Wednesday: Montrose Planning Commission Montrose Planning Commission is listed for Wednesday, September 9, at 5 p.m. in City Council Chambers at the Elks Civic Building, 107 S. Cascade Ave. An agenda was not available when this listing was prepared. Check the city’s public meetings portal for the agenda and any public hearing notices before attending. ## A quieter week for councils and the school board Grand Junction City Council has no meeting listed this week. Its next workshop is Monday, September 14, followed by a regular meeting Wednesday, September 16. The September 8 Planning Commission meeting is canceled, but the Urban Trails Committee meets Wednesday, September 9, at 5:30 p.m. Details are on the city calendar. District 51’s school board also has no meeting scheduled this week. Its next business meeting is Tuesday, September 15, at 5 p.m., according to the district schedule. Montrose City Council has no regular meeting or work session listed this week. Montrose County commissioners’ Labor Day work session is canceled, and their next regular board meeting is Wednesday, September 16. The county separately lists other gatherings commissioners may attend this week on its public meeting notices page. Glenwood Springs City Council next meets Thursday, September 17, with a 3 p.m. work session and a 6:15 p.m. regular meeting. See the council calendar. ## Looking ahead The week of September 14 brings a fuller calendar, including Grand Junction’s council workshop and regular meeting, D51’s business meeting, Montrose County’s regular board meeting and Glenwood Springs’ council sessions. Montrose County’s notices also list a special commissioners’ meeting Thursday, September 17, at 9 a.m. at Nucla Community Center, 1045 Main St. Its separate agenda will provide the subjects up for discussion. Meeting schedules and agendas can change. Check the linked official notice before traveling or arranging to speak.

The Prosecco hills north of Treviso are a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of steep vine terraces, hogback ridges and abbey cloisters, best walked between the September harvest and the first frosts. These are the towns inside that protected area, where the wine road runs past Romanesque churches and grappa distilleries rather than tasting-room car parks.

All Saints church at Crathorne has been a bit of a frustration for me. The beautiful hogback which was repurposed as a lintel has always had me wondering what other stones are held within the church. Sadly my previous visits have always resulted in a locked door. I was in the area so I thought I’d call in and visit the lintel.