SNOWMASS VILLAGE ” The Snowmass Village Town Council on Monday night decided to go cautiously forward with building more employee housing with money from its excise tax fund.

“I think we do have qualified buyers out there, and I think we go forward,” said Councilwoman Markey Butler, citing a need to get rid of the “doom and gloom” in town.

To mitigate the risk of ending up with unsold homes on its hands, the town will build only four to eight units at a time. Before building, it will ask all potential buyers to prequalify.

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If not enough qualified buyers come forward, the homes will not be built.

But to mitigate the risk that the town will be stuck with additional costs if the homes go over budget, the town will offer potential buyers a range of prices. It also will delay any lottery, assigning houses to people until after they are built.

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But the council was less willing Monday night to spend excise funds on existing employee housing.

The council declined a request from the nine deed-restricted owners of the Country Club Townhomes to pay for a renovation they argue was pushed through by the owners of the project’s free-market units, over their objections.

In 2007, the town agreed to pay 75 percent of the owners’ costs in 2007 and allow the owners to add the remaining 25 percent to their selling price. On Monday, the owners returned to ask the town to pay the remaining 25 percent ” about $250,000, for a total that could have reached more than $1 million, with cost overages.

“My feeling is, I’m sorry,” said Councilman Arnie Mordkin.

kredding@aspentimes.com