| Summary |
Wildfire Matters Review Committee. The bill establishes the
wildfire mitigation incentives for local government grant program (grant
program) in the Colorado state forest service (forest service). The grant
program is established to provide state funding assistance in the form of
grant awards to local governments to match revenue raised by such
governments from a dedicated revenue source that is intended to be used
for forest management or wildfire mitigation efforts at the local level.
Such wildfire mitigation efforts include, without limitation, projects that
promote fuel breaks, forest thinning, a reduction in the amount or extent
of fuels contributing to wildfires, outreach and education efforts directed
at property owners and other members of the public, and any other means
of forest management or wildfire mitigation as determined appropriate for
funding by the forest service.
The grant program is administered by the forest service.
On or before March 1, 2023, the forest service is required to adopt
polices, procedures, and guidelines for the grant program that include,
without limitation:
•
Procedures and timelines by which an eligible recipient
may apply for a grant;
•
Criteria for determining grant eligibility and grant amounts;
and
•
Reporting requirements for grant recipients.
Any funding awarded under the grant program must match
revenues raised by the local government from a dedicated revenue source
that is intended to be used for forest management or wildfire mitigation
efforts at the local level in accordance with policies, procedures, and
guidelines developed by the forest service.
In allocating funding under the grant program, preference will be
given to certain eligible recipients based on prioritization factors
enumerated in the bill.
Eligible recipients may apply for funding from the grant program,
and the recipient's application for funding may be approved by the forest
service, before the local government has created a dedicated revenue
source that forms the basis for the match if the electors of the local
government approve a ballot issue creating the revenue source at an
election that takes place in the same calendar year in which the funding
is awarded.
The bill creates the wildfire mitigation incentives local government
grant program fund in the state treasury.
On or before November 1, 2024, and on or before November 1 of
each year thereafter, the forest service is required to publish a report
summarizing the use of all of the money that was awarded under the grant
program in the preceding fiscal year. The bill specifies additional required
components of the report. The report must be posted on the website of the
forest service. The bill requires the Colorado department of higher
education to summarize the information contained in the report in its
State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent
(SMART) Government Act hearings.
The bill requires the forest service to prepare educational materials
concerning the grant program and to display such materials on its official
website. In addition, the forest service is also required to undertake
outreach activities to inform local governments located in priority areas
for wildfire mitigation of the grant program.
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