DOLA and CGFOA to Host Budget 101 Workshops

The Department of Local Affairs (DOLA ) and the Colorado Government Finance Officers Association (CGFOA) are hosting a training opportunity for beginning budgeteers. If you or someone you know needs some basic budget knowledge or just a basic tune-up, take a look. Upcoming workshop dates are:

•  Tuesday, July 26 - Alamosa
• Wednesday, July 27 - Durango
• Thursday, July 28 - Rifle
• Tuesday, August 2 - Westminster

We will also be offering a Budget 101 webinar on Aug 4th for those who are unable to attend at one of the above dates or locations.

About the Program:

• Whether you’ve never budgeted, gone through one cycle, or just want a little better understanding and knowledge of “where to go from here?”
• Whether you’re with a County, City, Town or Special District.
• Whether you’re a Budget Officer, an employee, a newly Elected Official or a volunteer.
• We can relate to you!
• We’ll review Colorado Local Government Budget law, Basic Calendar, Legal Limits on the Budget, and you’ll hear from experienced Budget Officers who have been through the ringer (many times!) and learned “hands on” how it really works.

Registration starts at 9 a.m. and class begins promptly at 9:30 a.m. and will run until approximately 3 p.m. A box lunch will be provided. CPE credits can be earned and a certificate will be issued to those who sign the CPE attendance sheet.

The cost is $20 for CGFOA members and $30 for nonmembers.

Scholarship funds available for this class -- go to http://www.cgfoa.org/scholarship.htm.  For questions or more information, contact Jarrod Biggs , (303) 866-4493.

DOLA's Sustainable Main Streets Initiative Named Finalist in ColoradoBIZ Magazine's 2011 Sustainability Champion Awards

Congratulations to DOLA's Office of Community Development for its work on the Sustainable Main Streets Initiative (SMSI), which was launched in April of 2010.  The SMSI was chosen as a finalist for ColoradoBIZ Magazine's 2011 Sustainability Champion Awards.

Chosen among dozens of entries, the SMSI, which has focused efforts on four pilot communities: The Five Points Neighborhood, the Town of Fowler, the City of Monte Vista and the City of Rifle, was recognized for meeting criteria in the areas of environment, economy, innovation, society and education.

To read more about the awards and this important recognition, go to 2011 Sustainability Champion Awards - ColoradoBIZ Magazine.

Colorado Sustainable Main Streets Initiative Report - 11/30/10

REMINDER: Annual Demography Meeting, November 5 - Arvada, CO

Presented by the Department of Local Affairs’ State Demography Office and the Northwest Council of Governments, the 2010 Annual Demography Meeting will be held from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm on November 5, 2010 at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities.

Understanding demographics is critical for local governments, city planners and nonprofits. The 2010 Annual Demography Meeting will focus on Colorado-specific population and economic trends and forecasts, provide an update on the 2010 Census and demonstrate hands-on tools to access and use data from the American Community Survey. The DU Strategic Issues Panel will also present on international immigration and the effects of this public policy challenge.

The meeting will be an opportunity for local government and nonprofit personnel to directly connect with demography and economy experts to understand how forecasts and estimates are made and how these trends will facilitate or complicate planned services and programs.

Registration is $65 per person. For registration information, download the 2010 Annual Demography Meeting. Remember to register early, as they tend to sell out.

Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien to Visit Monte Vista Aug. 17

MONTE VISTA - Members of the community are encouraged to join Lt. Gov. O’Brien on Aug. 17 at 2 p.m. for a community forum at the Central Auditorium.

Lt. Gov. O’Brien will be joined by Susan Kirkpatrick, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), and Don Marostica, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade OEDIT).Kirkpatrick and Marostica serve as co-chairs of the Governor’s Sustainable Main Streets Initiative.

Monte Vista is one of four pilot communities participating in the Sustainable Main Streets Initiative. The community forum will include information on the several efforts being undertaken by the local committee, including the proposed arts center, downtown development and economic blueprint.

Prior to the community forum, Lt. Gov. O’Brien will tour Main Street and receive an update on the community’s progress toward its goals from the Monte Vista Sustainable Main Street Steering Committee.

The Sustainable Main Streets Initiative, which is being led by DOLA, directs state agencies to identify and target specific resources to support community projects, ranging from increasing disaster readiness plans to improving energy efficiency in downtown areas to preserving the cultural integrity of the community’s core.

On April 28, Gov. Bill Ritter launched the Initiative and signed an executive order directing multiple targets for state resources to help communities overcome their unique challenges and achieve long-term stability and prosperity.

In addition to Monte Vista, the other communities are the Five Points Neighborhood in Denver, the Town of Fowler, and the City of Rifle.

DOLA's Division of Local Government is Hiring a Land Use Planner

The Department of Local Affairs, Division of Local Government is hiring a land use planner. Please visit the department's employment website at: http://dola.colorado.gov/employment.html  (you may have to copy and paste this link into your browser). Click "Employment opportunities" and then choose "Department of Local Affairs" from the listing of departments. This General Professional III will work in the downtown Denver office.

Please note:  close date is August 13th

Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien joins DOLA Executive Director for Fowler Visit

Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien and Department of Local Affairs Executive Director, Susan Kirkpatrick visited the Town of Fowler – one of four Colorado communities taking part in the state’s Sustainable Main Streets Initiative. They visited on August 3, to talk with residents and local leaders about their ideas for economic development and redesigning their downtown.
 

Fowler is a rural community of just over 1,100 people located in the Arkansas River Valley in southeastern Colorado, about 30 miles east of Pueblo.

Lt. Gov. O’Brien and Director Kirkpatrick visited the Fowler Senior Center, took a walking tour of downtown and participated in a community forum to advance the state’s Sustainable Main Streets Initiative. Along with Fowler, Rifle, Monte Vista and Denver’s Five Points neighborhood are also taking part in the Main Streets pilot program, which aims to enhance the sustainability of downtown corridors.

DOLA's Greg Winkler Working with Town of Minturn to Stimulate Downtown Business

Greg Winkler, DOLA Regional Manager for the Northern Mountains, has been working with the Town of Minturn’s citizens, local officials and business community to identify strategies for stimulating its downtown business corridor.

Winkler has been working with the community as part of DOLA’s Colorado Revitalization Partnership (CRP) program, which helps communities identify the best steps to implement to invigorate their downtowns. The CRP program is a partnership between DOLA and Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI).

About his experience working with Minturn, Winkler said, "Minturn is going through what many Colorado communities are experiencing in their downtown areas. I've really enjoyed working with the citizens as they map out a plan that will help their downtown businesses thrive. The CRP process is a great tool DOLA can offer to communities ready to move forward with their downtown economic development efforts.”

While funding is key to helping communities reach many of their goals, the technical assistance DOLA offers throughout the CRP process is critical to making sure communities have identified their strengths, their challenges and the resources available to them.

To read more about Minturn’s downtown revitalization efforts:

BusinessBriefs.net (Vol. 4, Number 8, May 27 - June 24, 2010)
“Minturn trying to kick-start events”


Town of Minturn’s Downtown Planning presentation

Budget 101 Trainings Offered Throughout the State and Online

DLG staff members Jarrod Biggs and David Keyser will be working in conjunction with the Colorado Government Finance Officer's Association (CGFOA ) to provide a Budget 101 course in a number of locations throughout the state (and via the web!).

The workshops are designed primarily for any first, second, or third year local government budgeters, but are open to all. The workshops will cover the basic statutory budget requirements, deadlines, certification of mill levies, revenue limitations and more. A CGFOA member also will be on hand to discuss their experiences in the context of budgeting. The workshops also will feature a presentation from the State Demography Office on state economic and demographic trends and their impact on budgeting.

Workshops are being held in Montrose, Frisco, Greeley, and Colorado Springs.

DOLA will be providing a Basic Statutory Requirements and Demography workshop via webinar on August 24 and 26 at 10 a.m. If you would like to take part in the webinar please contact Jarrod Biggs of DOLA’s Division of Local Government at jarrod.biggs@state.co.us, or (303) 866-4493.

Windsor Town Hall Renovation Celebrated

Governor Bill Ritter recently visited Windsor to help celebrate the completion of the Town Hall renovation. The $3,058,243 project was made possible through a collaborative effort that included an Energy and Mineral Impact grant from DOLA for $859,402 and a grant through the New Energy Communities initiative for $75,000.

The Windsor Town Hall is a great example of re-use of an existing building. Damaged in the Windsor tornado that struck on May 22, 2008, the building has gone through repairs to its roof, construction of an elevator, renovation of its third floor and energy efficiency improvements.

Coverage of the event can be found at:
Town Hall renovations unveiled
Windsor Now
07.25.10

Windsor christens town hall
The Coloradoan
07.23.10

Windsor town hall renovations unveiled; Gov Ritter attends ceremony
Windsor Tribune
07.23.10

DOLA's Clay Brown Key to Victor Revitalization

If you have not had an opportunity to read the May 29 article highlighting DOLA's own, Clay Brown, for his instrumental role in working with the City of Victor, please be sure to take a look at the Colorado Springs Gazette article at:

Victor revitalization is an act of "godsend"

Great job, Clay!

Planning Commissioner Training, Saturday, August 7th (8:30 a.m. - 3p.m. in Denver)

Time is running out! Register as soon as possible at http://www.drcog.org/training/dsp_viewClasses.cfm
(you may need to copy the URL and paste it into your browser)

The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and the Colorado Chapter of the American Planning Association, is offering an exclusive workshop for local government planning commissioners. This day-long workshop is committed to providing both newly appointed and seasoned planning commissioners with information to help them in the essential job they perform in their communities. Following a plenary session on new federal sustainability initiatives, workshop attendees have the opportunity to choose between two diverse tracks: (1) Planning Commissioner Training - providing information on the roles, responsibilities and fundamentals of being a planning commissioner, and (2) Special Topics - including one session on regional planning and a second session introducing and highlighting the relationship between public health and planning. See you there!

(more information on upcoming workshops will be coming soon... until then check APA Colorado's website for training opportunities for planners and planning commissioners at http://www.apacolorado.org/?q=content/events
(and don't forget the APA Co annual conference, October 6-9th in Steamboat!).

Sustainable Main Streets Initiative Update

Since Governor Ritter signed Executive Order D2010-007 on April 28, the Sustainable Main Streets Initiative has been making good progress. The Initiative outlines a collaborative, integrated process among state agencies, local communities, non-profits and the private sector to leverage technical and existing financial resources to help communities enhance the sustainability of their downtowns. Four Colorado communities are participating as pilots for the Initiative: Five Points Neighborhood of Denver, Town of Fowler, City of Monte Vista and City of Rifle.

Pilot community members, state agencies and foundation partners met July 1 at a workshop focused on identifying financial and technical resource opportunities. Governor Ritter also met with pilot community Champions and others to discuss progress on their efforts and listen to their experiences so far. Each of the pilot communities has identified specific sustainable outcomes they are working toward, such as increased use of renewable energy, reduced number of vacant storefronts, disaster-readiness enhancement and increased volunteer opportunities, to name a few.

New Faces at DLG

Meet Dianne Rogers

For some, Dianne Rogers may be a familiar face.

Mom to12-year-old Sevé (sounds like “Sev-ay”), Dianne is a former employee of DOLA where she worked 13 years in various divisions; Housing, Executive Director’s Office and Field Services. Her final six years with DOLA were with the Economic Development Commission (EDC).

She left EDC to become a stay-at-home mom, volunteering at her son’s school and with the March of Dimes. She also is a part-time massage therapist at the Colorado Athletic Club.

Dianne and her husband, Ken, have called southeast Denver home for about 15 years.

DOLA is fortunate to have Dianne back lending her expertise and her knack for great customer service to DLG’s reception area.




Meet Doug Foreman

Doug Foreman will be with DOLA until November 10 on temporary assignment helping out with the Community Services Block Grant Program (CSBG).

Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Doug has lived in Colorado since 1985.

A classically trained pianist, Doug teaches piano and writes classical- and jazz-inspired music in his spare time. He is a creative writer and has sold a couple of plays and is currently working on his third.

His travels often take him to New York and to Florida, where his parents reside.

Governor Bill Ritter Kicks Off Sustainable Main Streets Initiative

Governor Bill Ritter Kicks Off Sustainable Main Streets Initiative

On April 28, Gov. Bill Ritter announced four communities around Colorado will pilot a new Sustainable Main Streets Initiative, which will target state resources to help communities overcome their unique challenges and achieve long-term stability and prosperity. Gov. Ritter signed an executive order directing multiple state agencies to partner and concentrate on creating more livable local communities.


“One of the greatest things about Colorado is that we are bound together by a fabric of distinct cities, towns and communities,” Gov. Ritter said during a news conference in Denver’s historic Five Points Neighborhood. “Each of these places has a center or a heart or a Main Street that reflects the community’s unique character and personality.

The Sustainable Main Streets Initiative will direct state agencies to identify and target specific resources to support community projects, ranging from increasing disaster readiness plans to improving energy efficiency in downtown areas to preserving the cultural integrity of the community’s core.

DOLA is leading the initiative to help communities achieve their desired outcomes.

The four pilot communities are Five Points, the Town of Fowler, City of Monte Vista and the City of Rifle. The communities are geographically distributed throughout Colorado with demonstrated management capacity and readiness to move forward with specific strategies to achieve sustainable outcomes for their downtowns.

To read more about the Sustainable Main Streets Initiative, go to DOLA's Sustainable Main Streets Initiative page or the Governor's website.

Welcome Jennifer Robinson

Jennifer Robinson became a Division of Local Government (DLG) employee on April 1 as the Department's Revenue Forecaster.  Jennifer comes to the department with excellent experience and training that will help DLG and the Department  strengthen communities.

Jennifer is part of the Finance Technical Assistance team and in her position, she will develop revenue forecasts for Federal Mineral Lease (FML) and Severance Tax.  In addition, she may be assisting with revenue forecasting for Waste Tire, Gaming and Conservation Trust Fund and other duties as assigned. 

Please help me welcome Jennifer to the DLG team!!

Tony Hernandez, Director
Division of Local Government