(1) The division shall perform the following functions:
Assist the governor in coordinating the activities and services of those departmentsand agencies of the state having relationships with units of local government in order to provide more effective services to units of local government and to simplify procedures with respect thereto;
Advise the governor and the general assembly of the problems of local government;
Serve as a clearing house, for the benefit of local government, of information relatingto the common problems of local government and of state and federal services available to assist in the solution of those problems;
Refer local government to appropriate departments and agencies of the state andfederal government for advice, assistance, and available services in connection with specific problems;
Perform such research as is necessary to carry out the functions of the division, including the study of local government, intergovernmental relations, the structure and powers of local government units and their relationships to each other, local government finance, services, management, and functions;
Encourage and when so requested assist cooperative efforts among the officials oflocal government units toward the solution of common problems;
Encourage and cooperate in training institutes, conferences, and programs for localgovernment officials and employees;
Publish an annual compendium of local government fiscal data beginning with calendar year 1968 and publish from time to time other statistical and research reports of interest to local government, the general assembly, and the general public;
Upon request by local government officials, provide technical assistance in definingtheir local government problems and developing solutions thereof;
Provide technical assistance to district attorneys, including, but not limited to, coordinating educational grants; (k) Repealed.
Administer emergency services provided by the state;
(I) Annually distribute to each local governmental entity informational materials relating to federal student loan repayment programs and student loan forgiveness programs, including updated materials, received from the department of personnel pursuant to section 24-5102. The division may distribute the informational materials to each local governmental entity through an e-mail or as part of a mailing or regular communication to local governmental entities. The division shall encourage each local governmental entity to annually distribute the informational materials, including any updated materials, to each employee of the local governmental entity, and to include the informational materials as part of the local governmental entity's new employee orientation process.
(II) For purposes of subsection (1)(m)(I) of this section, a "local governmental entity" means a city, county, city and county, special district, or other unit of local government for which the division has received information pursuant to section 24-32-116.
No later than July 1, 2015, the division shall formally announce, on its website andby letter to the state's local governments, an initiative from the local government mineral impact fund created in section 34-63-102 (5), C.R.S., or the local government severance tax fund created in section 39-29-110, C.R.S., of one million dollars per year for three years for grant funding to local governments for planning, analyses, public engagement, and coordination and collaboration with federal land managers and stakeholders, or for similar or related local government processes needed by local governments for engagement in federal land management decision-making.
(a) The division of local government in the department of local affairs shall contract with a nationally recognized research and consulting entity to study future prison bed needs in Colorado. While conducting the study, the entity shall solicit input from local communities and other interested parties or issue experts, including but not limited to public safety experts, victim's advocates, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and community reentry providers.
(b) The division shall convene an advisory committee that contains three representatives of local governments, of which at least two must be county commissioners, selected by the executive director, from each county that has a private prison to consult with the entity during the study. The study must include:
An analysis of the economic and other impacts that potential prison closure wouldhave on local governments and the wider community and recommendations on strategies to diversify the local economy;
A utilization analysis of all state and privately operated facilities and all other facilities that can be used for housing inmates;
An analysis of the feasibility of the department to obtain privately owned facilitiesor utilize unused state-owned buildings in Colorado.
Prior to completing the study, the division, in conjunction with the county commissioners, shall provide notice and conduct public hearings in the counties in which private prisons are located to allow direct public testimony and input, which the department shall include in the final report.
The division of local government in the department of local affairs shall report thestudy to the judiciary committees of the senate and house of representatives, or any successor committees, during the committees' hearings held during the 2021 session of the general assembly under the "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act", part 2 of article 7 of title 2.
Source: L. 66: p. 121, § 4. C.R.S. 1963: § 3-22-4. L. 68: p. 34, § 1. L. 77: (1)(j) added, p. 1034, § 2, effective July 1. L. 81: (1)(k) added, p. 1395, § 4, effective June 19. L. 92: (1)(j) and (1)(k) amended and (1)(l) added, p. 1011, § 3, effective March 12. L. 93: (1)(k) repealed, p. 1784, § 55, effective June 6. L. 2015: (2) added, (HB 15-1225), ch. 187, p. 622, § 3, effective May 13. L. 2019: (1)(m) added, (SB 19-057), ch. 35, p. 115, § 10, effective August 2. L. 2020: (3) added, (HB 20-1019), ch. 9, p. 25, § 4, effective March 6.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration in HB 15-1225, see section 1 of chapter 187, Session Laws of Colorado 2015.