Active threads this episode
Ongoing · Land Use
Buc-ee's — The Buckey Site, Monument Hill
The proposed Buc-ee's location on Monument Hill has generated more civic chaos per square foot than almost anything else in the county's recent history — a mayor's resignation, lawsuits, a recall election, and opposition from the governor and two U.S. senators. The annexation withdrew in February 2026. A boundary line adjustment was then approved administratively, with no public hearing. Equipment appeared on site. A stop-work order followed. The application is not dead. It is between rooms. Watch EDAR (the El Paso County Development Application Records system) — County Line Road / I-25 parcel — for the next filing.
⟳ Watch EDAR · Application Not Closed
New This Episode · Citizen Resource
The Citizen Fight Guide
Laurel Scowl came to a BOCC meeting to fight the Buc-ee's development. She was prepared, calm, and factually grounded. She was redirected — not because she was wrong, but because the application was not formally before the board at that moment. The system does not explain this at the door. The Resources & Guides tab has the step-by-step map for how to be in the right room at the right time with the right documentation.
→ See Resources & Guides Tab
New This Episode · Deadline Approaching
Stormwater Manual Rewrite — Takes Effect May 1, 2026
County Engineer Joshua Palmer's team spent months rewriting the Engineering Criteria Manual — specifically Appendix I, the stormwater section. It hadn't been updated since 2019. The Word document was, in Palmer's words, very red. The rewrite means every stormwater compliance file in unincorporated El Paso County is now substantially more public as of May 1st. A new enforcement ordinance passed first reading — fees range from $100 to $1,000 for developers who fall out of compliance. The public comment window is open before the second reading. Episode 007 has the full breakdown.
↳ Comment Window Open · Before May 1
New This Episode · Jobs
Agriculture — The Jobs Nobody Can See From Academy Boulevard
Chair Geitner spoke on agriculture during National Ag Week. The agricultural land in El Paso County is invisible from Academy Boulevard — it's in Peyton, Black Forest, Monument, Elbert, and Calhan. The Farm Service Agency at 719-632-9598 knows which operations are hiring. The gap isn't land or labor. It's the distribution infrastructure between farms and buyers. Someone should build it.
↳ FSA: 719-632-9598
New This Episode · Sheriff's Office
Class 25-3 — Deputy Graduation
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office graduates Class 25-3 this Friday. Twenty-two weeks of academy training. Their first assignment is the county jail on East Las Vegas Street — watching what lands there when everything else has already failed. Starting salary just over seventy-two thousand dollars a year. Commissioner Wysong reported it. The liaison report gave them one sentence. Congratulations, Class 25-3. Find a good therapist before you need one.
⟳ Reported by Commissioner Wysong
What happened · 8 items · BOCC · March 17, 2026
The Invocation That Covered Three Centuries
Mar 17 · Evacuation Day · 250 YearsBernadette Wilkie from Radiant Church opened with St. Patrick, pivoted to the 59 cannons on Dorchester Hills, a divine snowstorm that stopped the British evacuation on March 17th, 1776 — exactly 250 years prior — then covered tuberculosis, miraculous solutions for sickness and disease, and the enemies of freedom and self-determination. Before the Pledge of Allegiance. Chair Geitner then invited everyone to join in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was nine in the morning. The bar for Tuesdays is set very high before anyone has finished their coffee.
Consent Calendar — and Grant Harris
✓ Passed 5–0Eleven items cleared five to zero. One item deserves a moment: Item H reconstituted the Fair Advisory Board and brought Grant Harris to the microphone. He has volunteered across multiple El Paso County departments since 1978. He showed up to say thank you for the chance to keep serving. He is the person in the room who knows exactly where the bathrooms are and isn't surprised by anything. If you go to a meeting, find someone like him. That conversation will tell you more than the agenda.
Class 25-3 — Sheriff's Office Deputy Graduation
⟳ Reported by Commissioner WysongCommissioner Wysong reported that the Sheriff's Office graduates Class 25-3 on Friday. Twenty-two weeks of academy training. Their first assignment: the El Paso County jail on East Las Vegas Street — watching what lands there when everything else has already failed. Mental health crises. Addiction. Poverty. Domestic violence. New deputies don't get eased in. They get the full picture on day one. Starting salary just over seventy-two thousand dollars a year. Congratulations, Class 25-3. Find a good therapist before you need one.
Commissioner Nelson — Citizens College and the D.C. Trip
↳ D.C. Flights from COS Are Cheaper Than You ThinkCommissioner Nelson reported on the Citizens Outreach Group and Citizens College — conversations about how to get more people engaged with local government using a "what's in it for me" lens. Genuinely useful framing. Also extremely funny at a meeting about to feature forty-five minutes of stormwater appendix revisions. She also noted that she and Chair Geitner would be flying to Washington D.C. the following day to meet with federal representatives. Chair Geitner later credited Congressman Crank's office with securing millions in infrastructure funding — and expressed appreciation for Congresswoman Boebert's time. Congressional offices take constituent meetings. The door is open.
Commissioner Applegate — Soccer, Rodeo, St. Patrick
↳ A Full WeekEDC and Chamber event at Switchback Stadium where the soccer coach fired everyone up about going for broke and needing leaders not followers. The Colorado Springs Switchbacks won Saturday. Tickets run $22–$45 — a deal for live professional sports. He also attended Bull-A-Rama for special kids and families — a rodeo event for children and families with special needs. Support it at sksfcolorado.org/waystogive. He closed with a St. Patrick quote about the Lord upending the understanding of an unbelieving heart.
Laurel Scowl — The Right Room Problem
Redirected · On RecordOne public comment speaker. Scowl addressed the Buckey site — the proposed Buc-ee's location on Monument Hill. 120 gas pumps. Clean bathrooms. Smiling beaver. A fight that contributed to a mayor's resignation, lawsuits, a recall election, and opposition from the governor and two U.S. senators. She asked for three procedural reforms — community representative designation, time pooling, and prior record carry-forward.
Chair Geitner redirected her, disagreed publicly on the record, and pointed to the county website. Commissioner Williams added the resubmit instruction. Commissioner Nelson said nothing.
Scowl was not wrong. She was in the wrong room. See the Resources & Guides tab.
Chair Geitner redirected her, disagreed publicly on the record, and pointed to the county website. Commissioner Williams added the resubmit instruction. Commissioner Nelson said nothing.
Scowl was not wrong. She was in the wrong room. See the Resources & Guides tab.
Stormwater Manual Rewrite — Appendix I of the Engineering Criteria Manual
✓ Approved 5–0 · See Episode 007County Engineer Joshua Palmer presented major revisions to the Engineering Criteria Manual — specifically Appendix I, the stormwater section. One person handled this in 2016. The team is now eleven strong. The manual hadn't been updated since 2019. The Word document was, as Palmer described it, very red. So they rewrote it. Key detail: a new homebuilder permit was requested by the builders themselves because the old rules were written for large developers and didn't fit. As of May 1st, every stormwater compliance file is substantially more public. Request them under CORA at planning@elpasoco.com.
Stormwater Ordinance — First Reading of the Enforcement Law
First Reading 5–0 · Takes Effect May 1The legal framework to enforce the rewritten manual above. Added construction and post-construction permit requirements with enforcement mechanisms. Inspection fees (not fines — fees go back to the county for additional work required when a developer falls out of compliance) ranging from $100 to $1,000. Between first and second reading, there is a public comment window. If the $1,000 ceiling seems low for large-scale developers, that is a written comment worth submitting. Email stormwater@elpasoco.com — subject line: Public Comment — Stormwater Ordinance Second Reading.
Key votes & actions · BOCC · March 17, 2026
| Who | Item | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| BOCC | Consent Calendar — 11 items including Fair Advisory Board reconstitution (Grant Harris, Item H) | Passed 5–0 |
| Chair Geitner | Public Comment — Laurel Scowl — procedural redirect, public disagreement on the record, referred to county website | Redirected |
| Comm. Williams | Resubmit instruction added — comments must be filed when application is actively on record | On Record |
| Comm. Nelson | Response to Scowl's three procedural reform requests | Said Nothing |
| BOCC | Engineering Criteria Manual — Appendix I Stormwater Revisions (complete rewrite, first update since 2019) | Approved 5–0 |
| BOCC | Stormwater Management Ordinance — First Reading. Inspection fees $100–$1,000. Takes effect May 1, 2026. | First Reading 5–0 |
Source: El Paso County BOCC Meeting, March 17, 2026 · agendasuite.org/iip/elpaso · Note: The official meeting transcript labels Chair Geitner as "Chair Nelson" throughout. This is a transcript error. Carrie Geitner is the 2026 Board Chair. Lauren Nelson is Vice Chair. All attributions on this page reflect the corrected record. · Not affiliated with El Paso County government.
Citizen fight guide · Built for this episode · And every episode like it
For Laurel Scowl and Anyone Like Her · The Map That Should Have Existed at the Door
We built the guide the county should have had at the door.
It is not perfect. We are also beginners — reading meeting notes on a podcast that started because we took Government twice and got a D the second time. But it is a place to start. A map drawn by people who went looking for the map and found out it did not exist.
Set up EDAR alerts right now. Go to elpasoco.com/planning for the County Line Road / I-25 parcel. The moment a development application is filed, your window opens widest. Not when you read about it on Facebook. The moment it drops in the system.
Write the letter. Certified mail to: Clerk to the Board, 200 S. Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903. Send an email copy to bocc@elpasoco.com. Keep your certified mail receipt. Thirty minutes of your time. Permanent part of the public record.
File a CORA (Colorado Open Records Act) request. Start with the internal County Attorney guidance on speaking time allocation for applicants versus the public. Email: planning@elpasoco.com — subject: CORA Records Request. That document either exists and tells you a lot — or it doesn't exist, and that is also information.
Build the evidence binder. Submit it to the Planning Department weeks before any hearing — not the night before. Five sections: (1) project history, (2) infrastructure concerns, (3) community opposition documentation, (4) legal and procedural questions, (5) photos and site documentation. The binder you bring in early becomes the record they must respond to.
Pool your speaking time. At a hearing, ten neighbors each giving up three minutes of their allotted time equals thirty minutes of formal testimony — enough to make a case. Coordinate before you arrive. The chairperson cannot redistribute time that hasn't been formally designated in writing before the meeting.
Come back when the application is on the record. Scowl was in the wrong room for where the application currently stands. The right room opens when the application is formally filed and before the BOCC. Watch EDAR. Show up then — with all of the above already completed. That's when your preparation becomes testimony.
The Short Version — Episode 006 at a glance
- The invocation covered St. Patrick, 59 cannons, a divine snowstorm that stopped the British, and tuberculosis — before the Pledge of Allegiance. At nine in the morning.
- Grant Harris has volunteered in El Paso County since 1978. He showed up to say thank you. Find him at a meeting.
- Class 25-3 graduates Friday. First assignment: the county jail. Starting salary just over $72,000.
- Laurel Scowl made three legitimate procedural requests. She was redirected — not because she was wrong, but because she was in the wrong room. The Fight Guide is in the Resources tab.
- The stormwater manual was rewritten for the first time since 2019. Every compliance file is now more public as of May 1st. You can request them via CORA at planning@elpasoco.com.
- The stormwater ordinance passed first reading. Public comment window is open. The $1,000 fee ceiling is low for large developers. Two sentences to stormwater@elpasoco.com is enough.
- The transcript incorrectly labeled Chair Geitner as "Chair Nelson" throughout. Geitner is the Chair. Nelson is Vice Chair. All attributions on this page are corrected.
Full summary
"A Revolutionary War prayer before the consent calendar. A volunteer who has shown up since 1978. New deputies heading to the jail on day one. A soccer coach and a rodeo. Agriculture nobody can see from the highway. A woman who did everything right except find the right room. And an oil cap nobody put back on."
The March 17th meeting was chaired by Carrie Geitner — the actual Board Chair for 2026. The meeting transcript labeled her as "Chair Nelson" throughout, which is an error. Lauren Nelson is the Vice Chair. This matters because the Scowl exchange has been widely misattributed. Geitner presided, redirected, and disagreed publicly. Williams added the resubmit instruction as an afterthought. Nelson said nothing in response to Scowl's concerns — not one word.
The invocation covered three centuries before nine a.m. St. Patrick. The American Revolution. 59 cannons on Dorchester Hills. A divine snowstorm. Tuberculosis. The enemies of freedom and self-determination. Bernadette Wilkie from Radiant Church delivered all of it before the Pledge of Allegiance. This is the baseline. This is how Tuesdays start here.
Grant Harris has volunteered in El Paso County since 1978. He showed up to say thank you. He is the person who knows where the bathrooms are and isn't surprised by anything. If you go to a meeting, find someone like him. That conversation will tell you more about how the county actually works than any agenda item.
Class 25-3 graduates Friday. Twenty-two weeks of training. Their first assignment is the county jail — watching what lands there when everything else has already failed. Starting salary just over seventy-two thousand dollars. The county is rooting for them even if the liaison report gave them one sentence.
Commissioner Nelson reported on Citizens College and the "what's in it for me" lens for civic engagement — honest and useful, and extremely funny at a meeting about to feature forty-five minutes of stormwater engineering. She and Chair Geitner were flying to Washington the following day. Real trips. Real results. Congressman Crank's office credited with millions in infrastructure funding. Flights from Colorado Springs to Washington are cheaper than you might think. Congressional offices take constituent meetings. The door is open.
Commissioner Applegate attended the Colorado Springs Switchbacks EDC event where the soccer coach went for broke, and Bull-A-Rama for special kids and families. Tickets to the Switchbacks run $22–$45. Support Bull-A-Rama at sksfcolorado.org/waystogive.
Chair Geitner spoke on agriculture. The USDA designates National Ag Week in March. She is genuinely passionate about this. Cows need feeding on weekends. Regenerative agriculture. Pray for farmers. It felt real. The agricultural land in this county is invisible from Academy Boulevard — it is in Peyton, Black Forest, Monument, Elbert, and Calhan. The Farm Service Agency at 719-632-9598 knows who is hiring. The gap is not land or labor. It is the distribution infrastructure between farms and buyers. Someone should build it.
Laurel Scowl showed up and deserved better than she got. She raised legitimate structural concerns about the county's hearing process — clearly, calmly, without apology. Chair Geitner redirected her technically correctly, then disagreed with her publicly on the record and pointed her to a website. Commissioner Williams added the resubmit instruction as an afterthought. Commissioner Nelson said nothing. At $158,669 a year managing a $532 million budget — dealing with constituents is the oil cap. You cannot change the oil, leave the cap off, and hand the car back with a brochure. The guide in the Resources tab is the map the county should have provided at the door.
Joshua Palmer rewrote the stormwater manual. It was very red. The team grew from one person in 2016 to eleven today. The new homebuilder permit was requested by the builders themselves — the old rules were written for large developers and didn't fit smaller operations. Palmer's documentation standards mean every stormwater compliance file in unincorporated El Paso County is now substantially more public. Request them under CORA — especially for the Buckey site parcel. The new ordinance takes effect May 1st. The public comment window on the second reading is open right now.
Upcoming · Dates worth knowing
Episode 007
This Week
The Paper Trail · The full stormwater breakdown in four minutes · CORA + Buc-ee's site · May 1 deadline
Stormwater 2nd Reading
Before May 1
Public comment window open · Push for a higher fee ceiling on repeat violators · stormwater@elpasoco.com
BOCC Land Use Meeting
Mar 26, 2026
Centennial Hall · 9:00 AM · 1675 W. Garden of the Gods Rd · Watch EDAR for new filings
Take action · Eight things, four minutes each
Do This Now
Set up EDAR alerts for the County Line Road / I-25 parcel. The moment a filing drops, your window opens widest — not when you read about it later.
Send This Week
Procedural reform letter — certified mail to the Clerk to the Board, 200 S. Cascade Ave. Email copy to bocc@elpasoco.com. Keep your receipt. Thirty minutes. Permanent record.
File a CORA Request
Start with the internal County Attorney guidance on speaking time allocation for applicants vs. the public. That document either exists and tells you a lot — or it doesn't exist, and that's also information.
Comment · Before May 1
Stormwater ordinance public comment — the $1,000 fee ceiling for repeat violators may not move large-scale developers. Two sentences is enough. Subject: Public Comment — Stormwater Ordinance Second Reading.
Date Night
Colorado Springs Switchbacks — Switchback Stadium, Cimarron Street. Tickets $22–$45. The coach is inspirational. The team won Saturday. Civic participation takes many forms.
Support
Bull-A-Rama — a rodeo event designed for children and families with special needs. Legitimate nonprofit. Tax deductible. Worth five minutes of your Saturday.
Agriculture Jobs
Farm Service Agency — 719-632-9598. They know every agricultural operation in the county and who is currently hiring. Not on Indeed. Not on LinkedIn. Here.
Confused? Upload It
Record the part of the meeting that lost you. Take notes on what you didn't understand. Upload here — we'll help decode it in plain language.
Watch for · What's coming and why it matters to you
Buckey Site / County Line Road — New EDAR FilingActive · Ongoing
The Buc-ee's application didn't die — it changed form. A boundary line adjustment was approved administratively (without a public hearing) in March. Equipment appeared. A stop-work order was issued. The next move will show up in the EDAR system before it shows up anywhere else. Set up alerts now at elpasoco.com/planning. When the filing drops, your public comment window opens at its widest. That's the moment.
Stormwater Ordinance — Second Reading & Public CommentBefore May 1, 2026
The first reading passed 5–0. Between first and second reading, the public comment window is open. The enforcement fee ceiling is $1,000. For a developer operating at scale, $1,000 is not a deterrent — it's a rounding error. If you think the ceiling should be higher for documented repeat offenders, that is a written comment worth submitting now. Email stormwater@elpasoco.com — subject: Public Comment — Stormwater Ordinance Second Reading. Two sentences is enough.
Stormwater Manual — Takes Full EffectMay 1, 2026
As of May 1st, every stormwater compliance file in unincorporated El Paso County becomes substantially more public under the rewritten Engineering Criteria Manual. This means you can request the compliance file for any development near you that has felt off — equipment showing up before permits, drainage that changed, a site that never looked right. One email to planning@elpasoco.com. Subject: CORA Records Request. Three business days. The paper trail is yours to ask for.
CORA Response — Attorney Speaking Time Guidance7 Days From Request
If you filed a CORA request for the internal County Attorney guidance on speaking time allocation at hearings, the county has three business days to respond. The document either confirms rules that favor applicants over the public — or it doesn't exist, in which case the absence of written policy is itself useful information for the procedural reform letter.
Certified Mail Receipt — Procedural Reform LetterSend Now
If you mailed the procedural reform letter to the Clerk to the Board, keep your certified mail receipt. That receipt is proof of the date your letter entered the public record. It matters if you ever need to demonstrate that you raised these concerns before a specific decision was made. File it somewhere you can find it.