City officials are seeking input from local residents in developing a comprehensive plan that will take into account the future growth of Cortez.

At the request of the Cortez City Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission is developing a plan, utilizing citizen input, that will be used as a guide for Cortez over the next 20 years.

"(The comprehensive plan) is a statement of where we want to be down the line and what means we will use to get there," said Planning Intern Drew Nelson.

The plan will take into consideration issues such as land use, transportation, parks and recreation, economic development, downtown development and community culture, said Nelson.

Nelson said that city officials are hoping to have the new Comprehensive Plan completed by March or April of next year.

Only about eight people showed up for the May 4, public input meeting, and the commission is hoping to see an increase in local participation for the next meeting on June 7.

The meeting will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Kemper Elementary School, Nelson said.

"We were very disappointed in the turnout for the first meeting," Cortez Mayor Joe Keck said. "It’s really kind of a sad situation because we really need the input from people throughout the community."

Keck said that the city is planning on having quite a few more meetings and will try to go into the various neighborhoods in Cortez so that people have an opportunity to get involved at the neighborhood level.

"We want to make it a little more citizen-friendly," said Keck.

Keck said that an earlier Cortez Comprehensive Plan was completed in 1993.

Zoning/Building Inspector Jeff Reinhart, City Manager Hal Shepherd and city council members are frequently referring back to the old plan in order to check the city’s progress, Keck said.

Keck said that some of the issues that he would like to see covered in the new plan include the 1,500 square-foot home minimum, partnerships between landowners and the city, and whether or not land use codes are too restrictive or not restrictive enough.

Keck said that these future public meetings are a way for citizens to discuss such issues and make an impact on their city’s government.

Nelson said, "We will look at (Cortez) on a basis of two years, five years, ten years, and twenty years."

"Residents are talking about what they would like to see happen to Cortez and where they would like their kids to be in 20 years," Nelson said.

"We have discussed some future problems — environmental, growth issues and sanitation problems — but we didn’t really get into ideas on how to placate those problems," said Nelson.

Nelson said that population data collected from the 2000 Census will provide the city with data concerning population trends within Cortez and Montezuma County and will assist in projecting for future needs, Nelson said.