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Home Administration Financial Services Underfunded Courthouse Facility Commission
Underfunded Courthouse Facility Commission

Background

The responsibility for providing adequate courtrooms and other court facilities lies with the individual county governments.  However, courthouses across Colorado are impacted by expanding caseloads, the allocation of new judges to the district, or the aging of existing courtroom facilities.  These circumstances cause operational and safety impacts to the performance of judicial activities.  In some areas, the necessary maintenance and improvements to the courthouse have been delayed or are hindered by the financial limitations of the county.  The Judicial Branch worked with the General Assembly to create the Commission to assist these counties and ensure that the courthouses meet current safety standards. 

The Underfunded Courthouse Facility Commission was established by the General Assembly in 2014 as a result of House Bill 14-1096, which created the Commission and the corresponding cash fund.  The goal of the Commission is to provide supplemental grant funds to counties in need of financial assistance for courthouse facility projects.  The Commission includes seven members from various entities across Colorado.

  • Judge Mark MacDonnell, Chair, Chief Judge, 16th Judicial District
  • Judge Eric Elliff, 2nd Judicial District 
  • Dwayne McFall, County Commissioner, Fremont County
  • Tyler Ratzliff, County Commissioner, Rio Grande County
  • Bruce Eisenhauer, Legislative Liaison, Department of Local Affairs
  • Patrick Eidman, Chief Preservation Officer, State Historical Fund, History Colorado
  • Peggy Gentles, Court Executive, 14th Judicial District, as member from the Court Security Cash Fund Commission

Grants

Purpose:  Colorado statute 13-1-301, C.R.S. created the Underfunded Courthouse Facilities Commission and Fund to provide supplemental funding for courthouse facility projects in the counties with the most limited financial resources.  Grants can only be used for projects in a facility containing a state court or probation office.  The grants can be used to pay for master planning services, matching funds (or leveraging additional grant funding opportunities) for construction/remodeling projects, or addressing emergency needs due to the imminent closure of a courthouse.  Grant funds cannot be used as the sole source of funding for new construction, unless the need is associated with the imminent closure of a courthouse. In addition, grant funds cannot be used to pay for furniture, fixtures, or equipment. 

Who is eligible to apply:  Counties must meet at least two of the following four pieces of criteria to be eligible to apply for and receive grants:

  1. Counties in which the total population is below the state median;
  2. Counties in which the per capita income is below the state median;
  3. Counties in which the property tax revenues are below the state median; or
  4. Counties in which the county population below the federal poverty line is above the state median.

       Counties that meet all four pieces of criteria are deemed to be the highest priority counties.  The Commission works with the State Demographer at the Department of Local Affairs to obtain this data and publishes the list of eligible counties for each grant round. 

Fiscal Year 2023 Grant Awards - covering the period of 1/1/2023 to 12/31/2023

Dolores County $65,000
Huerfano County $16,265
Las Animas County $930,000

 

Fiscal Year 2024 Grant Awards - covering the period of 1/1/2024 to 12/31/2024

The following grants have been approved for the 2023/24 grant year. 

County Project Type        Award
Alamosa County Matching $154,553
Bent County Master Planning $100,000
Conejos County Matching $99,000
Costilla County Master Planning $15,000
Costilla County Matching $130,691
Crowley County Master Planning $75,000
Crowley County Matching $75,000
Dolores County Master Planning $165,000
Fremont County Matching $97,728
Huerfano County Matching $55,969
Kiowa County Matching $27,500
Las Animas County Matching $498,303
Lincoln County Matching $34,850
Mesa County Matching $207,800
Mineral County Matching $85,000
Otero County Matching $35,000
Rio Grande County Matching $64,500
Saguache County Master Planning $80,000
Saguache County Matching $44,634

Grant award notification emails will be sent by Friday, December 8, 2023.  We anticipate that grant contracts will be emailed to the County’s authorized signatory via DocuSign by Friday, December 29, 2023.

 

Contact uff@judicial.state.co.us with any questions.


The Colorado Office of Policy, Research and Regulatory Reform is currently conducting a sunset review of the Underfunded Courthouse Facility Cash Fund Commission.  Analysis is performed to determine if section 13-1-301 et seq. of the Colorado Revised Statutes regarding the Commission are necessary and should be continued, modified, or repealed. To provide input on this review, please visit:   https://coprrr.colorado.gov/participate.


Direct any grant questions to: 

Audrey Boller
Office of the State Court Administrator
720-625-5841

UFF@judicial.state.co.us

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Business Resources

Fiscal Year 2023/24 Resources

Eligibility List

Eligibility Map

Grant Rules

 

AmpliFund Approval Instructions

Adding Users & Approvers

Approving the Application

 

Fiscal Year 2022/23 Resources

Grant Rules

 

Information

Department of Local Affairs

State Historical Fund

Colorado Counties Inc.

 

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