Date: 01/19/2010
Final
Briefing by the Department of Local Affairs
COMMITTEE ON JOINT LOCAL GOVERNMENT
| Votes: View--> | Action Taken: |
| <none> | <none> |
02:10 PM -- Briefing by the Department of Local Affairs
Susan Kirkpatrick, Executive Director, Department of Local Affairs, introduced herself and the division directors of the department's five divisions to the committee. These divisions include the Board of Assessment Appeals, Emergency Management, Housing, Local Government, and Property Taxation. Executive Director Kirkpatrick distributed the department's 2009 annual report (Attachment B), and explained that the department's responsibilities include supervising local property tax collections, administering state and federal low-income housing programs, providing technical assistance to local governments, assisting local governments in capital construction, community services, and emergency preparedness and response.
02:15 PM
Executive Director Kirkpatrick she discussed the functions of DOLA, the department's relationship with the Colorado General Assembly, and the department's focus on awarding community improvement projects during FY 2010-11 with $17 million in federal mineral lease (FML) funds to improve communities throughout Colorado. She discussed specific projects that have submitted requests for FML funds for community improvement projects. Executive Director Kirkpatrick talked about the goals and challenges that were met by the department during 2009 and the upcoming goals and challenges for the department in 2010.
02:19 PM
Executive Director Kirkpatrick talked about the job generation in the state and 20 different programs and investments by the department that generated over $693 million during 2009. She discussed the State Demography Office and provided a history of jobs that were created by projects implemented by DOLA, specifically 14,117 jobs in CY 2007, 10,990 in CY 2008, and 12,142 for CY 2009. Executive Director Kirkpatrick discussed the department's role in utilizing state electronic resources including webinars and other social media to reach out to local communities throughout the state. She provided examples of electronic resources aiding the process of the State Board of Assessment Appeals.
02:25 PM
Mike Beery, Director, Board of Assessment Appeals, DOLA, responded to questions from the committee members concerning the large number of appeals received by the State Board of Assessment Appeals. Director Beery explained that there was a 51 percent increase of appeals from CY 2008 to CY 2009. He specifically discussed the high volume of appeal requests from Denver and Arapahoe counties during 2009.
02:28 PM
Executive Director Kirkpatrick responded to questions concerning grant funds available from the department and discussed the application process. She stated that there are no new grants that will be using state dollars during FY 2010-11, and talked about the reduction of Energy and Mineral Impact Grant funds to local communities would be in CY 2010. Executive Director Kirkpatrick explained the department's role in distributing federal funds, and explained that the department will still allocate federal funds during FY 2010-11, especially for local housing needs.
02:32 PM
Hans Kallam, Director, Division of Emergency Preparedness, addressed questions from the committee concerning the H1N1 pandemic that occurred during 2009. Director Kallam explained that cases have diminished, and that H1N1 was not a current health threat. Directors Kallam and Kirkpatrick responded to questions concerning terrorist attacks, border control, and homeland security. Director Kallam talked about state preparedness against terrorism, and explained the methods and programs that have been implemented to share information between local, state, and federal entities with the priority of protecting borders from terrorist attacks.
02:38 PM
Executive Director Kirkpatrick and Pat Coyle, Director, Division of Housing, addressed questions concerning several types of grants distributed by the department. They discussed the distribution formula of the Energy and Mineral Impact Grant funds, and various federal housing grants. Executive Director Kirkpatrick addressed questions concerning state grants funded by federal stimulus money. She explained that DOLA would distribute federal stimulus funds during CY 2010 for the following types of grants: the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, housing foreclosure grants, Community Development Block Grants, and Community Service Block Grants.
02:46 PM
Tony Hernandez, Director, Division of Local Government, addressed questions concerning gaming impact dollars and the state policy to divert gaming impact funds to the state General Fund. Director Hernandez explained that this was an ongoing policy and that approximately $6 million had been diverted to the General Fund, instead of being distributed to eligible local governments.
02:50 PM
The committee made closing comments and thanked the department directors for their work during 2009.