Joint Committee Committee on Joint Local Government (01/17/2006)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

COMMITTEE ON JOINT LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Date:	01/17/2006	ATTENDANCE

Time:	02:07 PM to 02:49 PM	Bacon	X
		Berens	X
Place:	HCR 0112	Cerbo	X
		Curry	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Decker	X
	Senator Hanna	Entz	X
		Groff	*
This Report was prepared by		Jones	X
	Raegan Robb	Kester	X
		Lindstrom	X
		Massey	X
		May M.	X
		Merrifield	X
		Soper	X
		Stafford	X
		Tochtrop	E
		Hodge	X
		Hanna	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Joint JBC Committee Briefing Department of Local Affairs Briefing		Joint Budget Committee Briefing Department Briefing

01:44 PM

Representative Plant, chairman of the Joint Budget Committee (JBC), presented the JBC review of the Department of Local Affairs' (DOLA) budget (Attachment A). He reminded the Joint Local Government Committee that it has the policy oversight over the Department of Local Affairs, which responsibilities include supervising local property tax collections, providing technical assistance to local governments, and administering grant programs like the gaming grants, and the energy/mineral impact grants. Representative Plant addressed the overall budget forecast and the funding of the Department of Local Affairs for the Joint Committee. He presented DOLA's budget explaining that this budget did not undergo large reductions during past years of budget downturn due to the types of budget funding for the department. Representative Plant informed the committee that DOLA's budget is heavily supported by cash funds and federal funds. He addressed the department's major funding and budget changes from FY2004-05, FY2005-06, and the exact budget break for FY2006-07, which includes 3.9 percent from the General Fund, 11.8 percent cash funds, 45.6 percent cash funds exempt and 38.8 percent federal funding. He spoke to the source split of the General Fund for 2005-06 and explained the department overview and budget details for FY2006-07 the most notable being the Homeland Security Grants of 36.8 million dollars and additional monies for administering this grant program for FY2005-06. Representative Plant addressed the five year plans that being

submitted by each department in order to examine past cost shifts, whether each department is meeting the needs of the state and what the five-year goals of the departments are. Affordable housing and the Office of Smart Growth were identified by DOLA, in its five-year plan, as major current needs that were not being met. These two programs were requesting funding of $1.4 million from the General Fund, for FY2005-06 to repair past cuts to these programs.

01:55 PM

JBC members Senator Tapia and Representative Buescher spoke to the issue of five-year plans to the Joint Committee, stating that the five-year plans were not new requirements but in compliance with the State Strategic Plan. The point of the five-year plan is to give the JBC and the oversight committees an idea of the current services being provided, the future needs of each department and the relationship between departments. Joint Committee members submitted questions to the JBC concerning: Homeland Security Dollars, proposed increases to existing DOLA programs (i.e. the Affordable Housing and Smart Growth programs), and whether the proposed increases could be funded with state severance taxes in DOLA's budget instead of the General Fund.

02:13 PM

Barbara Kirkmeyer, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, introduced division directors present at the meeting and described the department's purpose, programs, and priorities. Director Kirkmeyer explained the decision items in DOLA's budget request to restore funding for the Smart Growth Program and the Affordable Housing program. Director Kirkmeyer explained the $400,000 request in DOLA's budget for restoring the Smart Growth program, which issues planning grants to local governments to assist in developing growth management strategies and mitigating the impacts of growth. The other budget request item was a $1.0 million dollar request to restore the Housing Development Grants under the Division of Housing, which addresses affordable housing needs throughout the state.

Director Kirkmeyer informed the committee of the highlights and changes in the department that are fully discussed in a report from DOLA (see Attachment B). She updated the committee on the 2005 achievements by the Division of Housing and other changes to DOLA during 2005 including changes to the Conservation Trust Fund Program, and the addition of the Fire Fighter Pension Fund Program, and of the Office of the State GIS Coordinator. Director Kirkmeyer also updated the committee on DOLA's Division of Emergency Management, Homeland Security, and upcoming Homeland Security grants for 2006 (see Attachment C). She also spoke to the challenges, accomplishments, and lessons of "Operation Safe-Haven" which was the state of Colorado's response to house evacuees from hurricane Katrina in the state of Colorado.

02:29 PM

Director Kirkmeyer addressed several questions regarding hurricane Katrina evacuees residing in Colorado. She also addressed other questions concerning Referendum C, the distribution of federal mineral lease dollars, energy and mineral funding for water and waste water treatment programs, affordable housing, the Colorado Heritage Grant Program, and results from an internal DOLA audit.

02:49 PM

The meeting adjourned.