Pueblo County commissioners hire lobbyist

Pueblo County commissioners now have a lobbyist working at the state Capitol to monitor legislation.

County commissioners unanimously approved a contract on Monday with JLH Consulting & Public Affairs of Denver for $6,818 a month, according to the contract.

Commissioner Liane “Buffie” McFadyen said having a lobbyist will cut down on how much time commissioners spend traveling to Denver. She said she’d still plan to be at the Capitol to testify for certain bills.

“Pueblo County has been a leader in industries like marijuana, not only for Pueblo County, the state of Colorado, but for the United States. So it’s really important that we have a voice up at the state Capitol for things like marijuana, road funding and also items like water, which is incredibly important to southern Colorado,” she said.

Even though the county is struggling financially, McFadyen said hiring a lobbyist is a wise investment.

“The county is strapped for cash,” she said. “The bigger question is how can we not afford to do it, especially issues involving water engineering — we know those are going to come down. Issues involving road funding. In the end, our goal is to have it pay for itself.”

McFadyen said the city of Pueblo and counties like El Paso, Teller and Bent also have lobbyists.