HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 11/21/2017 - RESOLUTION 2017-104 URGING THE COLORADO GENERAL ASAgenda Item 21
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AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY November 21, 2017
City Council
STAFF
Ginny Sawyer, Policy and Project Manager
Chris Van Hall, Legal
SUBJECT
Resolution 2017-104 Urging the Colorado General Assembly to Pass Legislation During the 2018 Session to
Reauthorize the Colorado Lottery Division to the Year 2039.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to express Council’s desire to urge the General Assembly to pass legislation in the
2018 session to reauthorize the Colorado Division of Lottery from the year 2018 to 2039. The Colorado Lottery
Division administers the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) funds, which has distributed over $40 million
directly to the City of Fort Collins for parks, trails, open space, wildlife, outdoor recreation, and other amenities.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
In 1982, Colorado voters approved a statewide lottery, and, in a subsequent 1992 election, adopted the GOCO
amendment to the state constitution that directs lottery profits to be used for parks, open space, wildlife, and
outdoor recreation purposes. The General Assembly created a Lottery Division in the State Department of
Revenue to administer the lottery.
GOCO funds have helped connect families to the outdoors, improved local trail and parks, build outdoor
recreation facilities, preserve ranchlands, water resources, and view corridors, improve river access and
quality and conserve wildlife habitat. The GOCO Trust Fund has distributed approximately $1 billion in grants
for projects to improve communities in all of Colorado’s 64 counties.
GOCO has distributed over $40 million directly to the City of Fort Collins for parks, trails, open space, wildlife,
outdoor recreation, and other amenities. The development and construction of the City’s paved trail system
depends almost entirely on GOCO funds. Numerous natural areas have been conserved with the aid of
GOCO, including the Nix Farm – Kingfisher complex. Recent conservation efforts include 2,500 acres in the
process of being conserved in partnership with GOCO and Larimer County near the south end of Horsetooth
Reservoir.
The Lottery Division is essential to the administration of the entire GOCO program and is currently set to expire
in the year 2018. This resolution strongly urges the General Assembly to adopt legislation in the 2018 session
to reauthorize the Lottery Division to the year 2039.
CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS
The GOCO Trust Fund has distributed over $8 million directly to the City of Fort Collins; and the Conservation
Trust Fund has distributed over $32 million directly to the City of Fort Collins.
Agenda Item 21
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These funds have helped to advance parks, open space, trails, wildlife, outdoor recreation and other amenities
meeting many of the Culture and Recreation strategic objectives.
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RESOLUTION 2017-104
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
URGING THE COLORADO GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO PASS
LEGISLATION DURING THE 2018 SESSION TO REAUTHORIZE
THE COLORADO LOTTERY DIVISION TO THE YEAR 2039
WHEREAS, Colorado voters provided for a statewide lottery in 1982, and in a
subsequent election in 1992, adopted the Great Outdoors Colorado (“GOCO”) amendment to the
state constitution, which directs that lottery profits be used for parks, open space, wildlife, and
outdoor recreation purposes; and
WHEREAS, following voters’ approval of a lottery, the General Assembly created a
Lottery Division in the State Department of Revenue in 1982 to administer the lottery; and
WHEREAS, as provided in the GOCO amendment, lottery profits are allocated to the
Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund (the “GOCO Trust Fund”), the Conservation Trust Fund,
and to the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife; and
WHEREAS, since 1992, the State Board of the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund (the
“GOGO Board”) has distributed from the GOCO Trust Fund approximately $1 billion in grants
for projects to improve communities in all of Colorado’s 64 counties which funds have helped
connect families to the outdoors, improved local trails and parks, build outdoor recreation
facilities, preserve ranchlands, water resources, and view corridors, improve river access and
quality and conserve wildlife habitat; and
WHEREAS, the GOCO Board has distributed from the GOCO Trust Fund over $8
million directly to the City of Fort Collins; and
WHEREAS, since 1983, the GOCO Board has distributed from the Conservation Trust
Fund approximately $1 billion in grants to counties, municipalities, and special districts for
acquisition, development, and maintenance of new conservation sites, capital improvements, and
maintenance for recreational purposes on public sites; and
WHEREAS, the GOCO Board has distributed from the Conservation Trust Fund over
$32 million directly to the City of Fort Collins; and
WHEREAS, since 1992, the GOCO Board has distributed from the GOCO Trust Fund
approximately $125 million of lottery proceeds in support of Colorado’s 42 state parks, funding
parkland acquisition, park development and operations, trail construction and maintenance,
environmental education, youth and volunteer programs and stewardship and natural resources
management; and
WHEREAS, the Colorado Lottery Division is critical to the administration of the entire
GOCO program and the Division is set to expire unless extended by the General Assembly,
which during its 2018 session, will consider legislation to extend the Division to 2039; and
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WHEREAS, the City has adopted a Legislative Agenda that includes four points related
to the reauthorization of the Colorado lottery division, including, support for maintaining or
enhancing funding for parks, trails, forestry, horticulture, recreation services, and facilities;
support for local discretion to use GOCO and other sources for funding municipal government
projects addressing local needs and priorities; support for equal or greater funding levels of
GOCO grants awarded to municipalities; and support for additional funding for conservation
programs, including reinstating Colorado Parks and Wildlife license fees to at least 2005 levels.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FORT COLLINS, as follows:
Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and
findings contained in the recitals set forth above.
Section 2. That the City Council strongly urges the General Assembly to approve
legislation during its 2018 session to reauthorize the Colorado Lottery Division until 2039.
Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this
21st day of November, A.D. 2017.
_________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_____________________________
City Clerk