Town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado

David Harris, Town Manager at Town of Pagosa Springs, operates at the intersection of policy and execution, ensuring that civic intent is translated into disciplined, measurable action. He aligns council priorities with cross-functional delivery, bringing clarity to budgeting, capital planning and day-to-day operations. By balancing immediate service demands with long-term community outcomes, he reinforces a governance model that is responsive, accountable and built for sustained public value.

What Local Government Actually Asks of You

Public service at the local level is immediate. It shows up in someone’s yard when the sewer backs up, in a road that floods, in a budget that either holds or doesn’t. That proximity is what makes the work serious and it is what makes trust so difficult to earn and so easy to lose.

The past year tested most of what I believe about this role. The sewer force main and collection systems required significant longterm investment and there was no clear revenue path to support them. The October flood made conditions harder. What both events reinforced was something I had already come to believe: the only way through a complex public problem is through educating the public.

About a year ago, we went to the community and explained what was happening. We did not soften the problem or delay the conversation. We described the structural issues affecting the collection system and the treatment of sewer effluent and we were direct about what it would take to fix them. A group of citizens responded by promoting a ballot initiative. That effort resulted in the approval of a one-cent sales tax, which we estimate will generate between $60 and $80 million over the next 25 to 30 years. That outcome did not come from a communications strategy. It came from honesty and from a community ready to act when given the facts.

What I Have Learned About Collaboration

The flood accelerated something already underway: a deeper working relationship with our regional partners. The Town Council holds regular joint meetings with county commissioners and brings together public-sector managers from across the region every other month to address shared challenges. That cadence matters. When a crisis arrives, you do not have time to build relationships from scratch. The partnerships have to exist before the pressure arrives.

Inside the organization, collaboration starts with clarity. Departments work best when they understand how their function connects to a larger mission. Each year, we undertake strategic planning with our council, which translates into an annual work plan. That plan shapes how we build operating and capital budgets for council deliberation. When people understand where direction comes from, they can align their daily work to it without needing to be managed at every step.

Transparency is not a communication tactic. It is a standard of conduct. Our finance department received the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement for Annual Financial Reporting for the second consecutive year. That recognition matters because it reflects how seriously the team takes accountability in the stewardship of public funds. Accountability is not about setting expectations. It is about showing measurable progress and reporting it plainly, whether the news is good or not.

How Data Shapes the Decisions

Sound decisions in local government require grounding in real information. We draw on infrastructure data, project timelines, financial figures, service demands and what we hear directly from the community. Technology supports that work by strengthening communication, improving project tracking and enabling better planning across departments.

Keeping that information accessible is part of the work. Not everyone follows council meetings and not everyone should have to. Regular updates on project progress, shared in plain language across multiple channels, keep the community informed and invested. Visibility matters personally as well. Being present, being available and being willing to answer questions directly signal something that reporting alone cannot.

In the coming month, we will go to the council to seek direction on whether to move forward with a new wastewater treatment plant. It is a significant capital decision and the community deserves a full picture of what is being considered and why. Being open about the complexity of that choice is part of how we earn the right to make it. A public body that explains its reasoning invites confidence. One who withholds it eventually loses it.

What This Work Is Really About

Local government touches people’s lives every day. That is its defining quality and its defining obligation. In Pagosa Springs, that reality is especially vivid. It is a community with a strong identity, deeply engaged residents and a natural environment that demands careful stewardship. The responsibility that comes with working here is real and it shapes every decision.

“ Inside the organization, collaboration starts with clarity. Departments work best when they understand how their function connects to a larger mission. Each year, we undertake strategic planning with our council, which translates into an annual work plan. That plan shapes how we build operating and capital budgets for council deliberation. “

This is a service role. My position is no more important than the person filling potholes, answering a police call, or collecting trash. Every function in a well-run local government matters and the whole system works only when people support each other with a shared sense of responsibility.

What I have come to believe is that long-term leadership in this context depends on a few things that do not change. Stay calm under pressure. Be honest with the public. Make decisions based on facts. Follow through on what you say you will do. Manage public funds carefully. Maintain the infrastructure people depend on.

None of that is complicated. All of it is hard. The work is about holding those commitments steady across the routine weeks and the difficult ones, until the community can see clearly that the people running things are doing exactly what they said they would. That, more than any single project or initiative, is what public trust is built on.