On Monday, Garfield County joined other valley governments in funding a housing study; it pledged $10,000, which is $5,000 less than what they were asked for.
The money will be used to study the housing crunch, stretching from Pitkin County all the way to Parachute. It will identify the housing needs a Regional Housing Authority would address, with new local taxes.
Bill Lamont presented to the county’s commissioners. He and a colleague are corralling support for the authority. Commissioner John Martin opposes any funding and said upvalley communities like Aspen and Snowmass created the housing crunch.
“It’s gotta stop,” he said, “We need to have housing in those communities that need workers, period. They need to take care of their problem.”
Lamont said funding the study did not equal joining the authority. The Aspen-Pitkin County Housing Authority has pledged $25,000 for the needs assessment, $5,000 more than they were asked for. Eagle County pledged $15,000.
