From The Watch (Western San Juan mountains):  With the Montrose Board of County Commissioners’ unanimous approval of a settlement agreement  on Sept. 15, the Colorado Open Records Act lawsuit filed against nine Montrose County officials by the operators of the Black Canyon Jet Center will cost now taxpayers more than $265,000.

The Sept. 15 settlement agreement with Jet Center Partners, operator of the Black Canyon Jet Center, covers all claims, including attorney fees. While Montrose County Attorney Teresa Williams called District Court Judge James Schum’s June 27 ruling on the CORA lawsuit “favorable to the county,” it still called for JCP’s compensation for costs incurred in the lawsuit.

“What this does is takes care of those attorneys fees in question and any appeals that may come out of the lawsuit,” Williams said, including all open meetings act violation allegations.”

In addition to this latest $30,000, the county has spent a total of $235,857 in attorneys’ fees defending the CORA lawsuit.

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