In the end it was much ado about nothing.

The Logan County Commissioners decided Tuesday to dump a proposed ordinance requiring mufflers on truck decompression brakes in the county. As it turns out, there's already a state statute requiring that very thing on all trucks, which would make a county ordinance redundant.

The measure had been brought forward by Commissioner Jane Bauder, who said she has received numerous complaints from county residents about such braking devices. She said many of the complaints come from the area of the intersection of County Roads 30 and 37, where residents of the housing developments have registered numerous complaints.

It also turns out, however, that there already is a sign near that intersection that warns of the requirement for compression brake mufflers. County Attorney Alan Samber told the commissioners that some counties still copy the state statute as a local ordinance because that's the only way the Colorado Department of Transportation will erect a sign at the state's expense.

The issue highlighted the fact that there's some confusion over the exact process of bringing forth a proposed ordinance. Commissioner Joe McBride said it appeared that there are different ideas about the consequences of first readings, public hearings and second readings. Bauder agreed, saying her intent with putting the proposed ordinance on the Nov. 16 agenda for first reading was to offer it for public opinion and get input from her fellow commissioners.

Both McBride and Board Chairman Byron Pelton had voted against such an ordinance a year ago, and McBride made no secret of the fact that he intended to vote against it on second reading this time. He did second Bauder's motion to move the ordinance forward because he thought that was the best way to open a public hearing once it had been introduced.

In fact, there's no process written down on how Logan County ordinances and resolutions are supposed to be handled, and that's something McBride wants rectified. After discussion Tuesday, the commissioners agreed to a three-step process in bringing forward an ordinance. The first step will be informal discussion of the proposed ordinance during a workshop session. At least two commissioners must agree to support the ordinance for it to even go on a business session agenda.

Failure of a proposed ordinance to get majority support would save the county the cost of publishing the ordinance in the local newspaper, once in its entirety on first reading and again by title only for second reading.

As for how best to dispose of the still-pending ordinance, the commissioners agreed to table it indefinitely at the Dec. 3 meeting, which will kill it.

In other business Tuesday, the commissioners approved, and Pelton signed, a letter to Gov. Jared Polis acknowledging his support of the water conservation districts on the Republican and Rio Grande rivers. Polis' proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 includes $15 million for the two districts. The letter also asks that Polis work with the General Assembly in 2022 to increase the appropriation to help Colorado meet its interstate compact obligations. You can read the text of the letter here: Governor Jared Polis - ARPA funding for Republican River Water Conservation Dist.

The Logan County Courthouse will be closed Thursday and Friday in observance of Thanksgiving.