City to pay Denver graphic design firm up to $30K for work; sales tax drops in September

The city of Ouray will roll out a series of new logos in the coming months as part of a rebranding effort, attaching it to everything from signs and marketing materials to city vehicles.

The City Council unanimously approved the new logos during a meeting last week. Guidelines establishing how, when and where to use them are expected to be in place by the end of January.

The new logos, like the old logo, center on Mt. Abram but offer a cleaner, simpler appearance. The dominant color is maroon, intended to reflect the brick buildings on Main Street and the red rock and mountains that surround Ouray. Mt. Abram appears in two different colors — one side in white for snow and the other side in gray in a nod to another mountain color and the area’s silver mining heritage. Blue sky appears behind Mt. Abram, with two shades of green landscape in the foreground.

Three different sets of wording accompany variations of the logos: “City of Ouray Colorado,” “Visit Ouray Colorado” and, simply, “Ouray Colorado.”

Alternate forms of the logo offer black lettering on white backgrounds and white lettering on black backgrounds.

The new look is a stark contrast to the old Ouray logo, which dates to the 1970s. The old logo features Mt. Abram in a predominant icy blue color, with the word Ouray in shades of orange and accented by red horizontal lines. A black and white graphic that appears to be hand-drawn sits behind the logo.

The city will pay Denver-based graphic designer Tangram Design up to $30,000 to design and develop the new logos and branding guidelines. That work included in-person meetings that started more than a year ago and featured citizens, business owners and elected officials identifying goals and potential themes and color schemes for the logos.

“I think we have a logo here that is reflective of the community,” Mayor Ethan Funk said at the Nov. 20 council meeting. “I know it’s a break from the existing whimsical logo. Sometimes change is a little difficult, but I guess we’re going to see what happens. There was a lot of input involved.”

Councilor John Wood said developing a new logo is important not only for aesthetic reasons but because the city can exert more control over how the logo is used and by whom. The old logo was in the public domain and could be used by anyone. That may not be the new case with the new logos.

Utility rates to increase in 2024

Councilors unanimously approved a utility rate increase that will take effect in January.

The average bill for water, sewer, trash and recycling services will increase 9%, from $206.30 per month to $224.97 per month.

The majority of the price increase is attributable to the wastewater treatment surcharge, which will jump 24% from $45.78 to $56.74 per month. That rate has increased several times the last few years to help pay for a new $17 million sewer treatment plant, which should be done by late spring.

Sales tax slips in September

Sales tax revenue from sales in September slipped compared to last year, but receipts for the year remain ahead of last year’s pace.

Revenue dropped 3.7% from $421,059 in September 2022 to $405,447 this year. That revenue was remitted to the city in October and reported by the city this month.

Through the first nine months of the year, the city has pulled in nearly $2.49 million in sales tax, 5.1% more than the $2.37 million collected through September 2022.

Revenue from the city’s 3.5% lodging tax effectively held steady in September, with $118,035 collected compared to $119,099 collected in September 2022. Total rooms booked fell nearly 6% from 18,930 to 17,855.

The city collected $88,463 from its 15% tax on short-term rentals, 6.5% more than September 2022.

Both the Ouray Hot Springs Pool and Box Cañon Falls Park continued their strong showings this year in October. Visitation was up nearly 9% at the pool, with revenue totaling $211,284, nearly 24% more than October 2022. At Box Cañon Falls, revenue from admission and concessions totaled nearly $66,000 in October, 40% more than the same month last year.

Change comes to Planning Commission

Planning Commission Chairman Jeff Skoloda resigned from the board after 20 years of service. The council accepted his resignation at its Nov. 20 meeting.

“I am proud of the work that we did but feel that it is time for me to concentrate on other things,” Skoloda wrote in a resignation email to City Administrator Silas Clarke.

The council appointed Kevin Schiffer to replace Skoloda.