KIOWA, Colo. — The Town of Kiowa last week passed an emergency ordinance putting a moratorium on "businesses, offices and non-revenue producing activities in the town center."
Kiowa Mayor Terry Howard said the decision was made following concerns that Elbert County was leasing prime property downtown.
"It was brought to our attention that [Elbert County] has been acquiring properties for office space or whatever they want to use it for," said the Kiowa Mayor Terry Howard. "It's not that we have an objection to the county being in because we are the county, you know, being in the town of Kiowa. The problem shows, though, that they are renting up some prime areas that could be used to attract businesses, and we had really no notification of this."
The emergency ordinance was passed during a special meeting on May 21.
"Mainly, I didn't want them to decide that we're going to rent this space and keep it for 10 years," Howard said. "Well, that takes it out of availability for any new businesses."
The town recently joined Main Street America, which helps small historic towns revitalize their main town centers. Through the program, town officials were made aware of how important town center property was.
"One of the identified priorities was to develop a business retention and attraction program for Kiowa Main Street, and we talked about several different things," the mayor said. "One of the projects includes taking a good inventory of the businesses we have on the main street district and creating a detailed map. We know available properties, current zoning regulations, all of that kind of information."
Howard said the goal is to bring in businesses that could attract more visitors and generate more sales tax revenue.
"Honestly, what foot traffic would a county office bring other than people that are currently in, you know, this vicinity? And we're looking to try and revitalize, and so if we can come to an agreement with the county on things, which we are in the process of doing, the main thing is the communication. Let us know this is what your intentions are, and let's make an agreement that you know you're only going to have the property for two years or one year," the mayor said.
Debbie Ullom, a Kiowa local and longtime business owner, owns property in the town center. She operates her real estate company out of the building, but was hoping to lease it to the county.
"We put the property on the market, it was about a year ago," Ullom said. "We decided that we were willing to go and lease it out instead of selling it because interest rates are so high. Commercial sales are hard."
However, under the moratorium, Ullom is no longer able to lease the property to the county.
"We'd all love to see a coffee shop or a bakery or something really cool, but there's not the people to support it here," she told Denver7. "So they are really tying my hands on what I can do with the building."
Howard said she understands Ullom's frustration but feels she and fellow officials are doing what's best for the town.
"We need to look at the overall picture. I don't want this to hinder her or give her any restrictions," Howard said. "That's not our intent. Our intent is trying to, it would be great if somebody would be interested in her building to purchase it for a small business."
Denver7 reached out to Elbert County about the moratorium and its role. In a statement, a spokesperson said, "We are committed to a healthy partnership with the Town of Kiowa that will benefit the Town and Elbert County. We believe this will lead to positive outcomes for everyone involved, including our residents and the business community."
Denver7 also reached out to Kimberly Boyd, the town administrator, who provided the following statement, "I feel I can speak for both the town and the County when I say the Town of Kiowa and Elbert County are committed to rebuilding a trusting relationship grounded in active listening, transparency, and inclusive engagement, which is long overdue. This effort aims to foster a genuine partnership and collaboration that benefits both entities and the communities we serve."
Howard said the moratorium is scheduled to last a year, but she hopes it stays in place for a shorter amount of time. Regardless, Ullom feels her hands are tied, and she's left waiting to figure out what exactly she can do with her property.
"I don't know what we do from here. I am at a loss," she said. "I am truly at a loss, and I really thought the town board would step up to the plate and have some accountability."
