Commissioners debate expanding marijuana‑excise scholarships to longer‑term residents and trade programs

Pueblo County commissioners on May 15 debated expanding eligibility for scholarships funded by the county’s marijuana excise tax to include longer‑term residents and students attending local trade and technical schools.

County Attorney Cynthia Mitchell reviewed the existing policy history: the excise tax passed in 2015 with ballot language limiting scholarships at first to Pueblo County high‑school students attending Pueblo County colleges and universities; in 2019 the board expanded eligibility to allow Pueblo County high‑school graduates to use scholarships at any U.S. institution. Mitchell said a new request seeks to allow long‑term county residents access to the funds and recommended mirroring the state in‑state tuition residency standard of 12 months as a baseline for residency; local partners suggested a longer period.

Commissioners debated whether a 12‑month residency standard — the time commonly used to establish in‑state tuition — was sufficient to demonstrate local commitment. One commissioner called 12 months "pretty short" and argued for a longer requirement; another suggested 24 months would demonstrate stronger ties to the community. The county manager and staff framed the policy question as balancing access for nontraditional residents (people who moved to Pueblo for work, marriage or after military service) with the original intent of prioritizing local students.

Presenters and some commissioners also discussed which educational programs would qualify. A proposal in the draft resolution would allow long‑term residents to access funds for attendance at CSU Pueblo or Pueblo Community College; representatives from local scholarship partners asked that eligibility also include Pueblo‑based trade schools and, in some cases, online programs that serve local students. Several commissioners said they favored including local trade and technical programs but were cautious about allowing unrestricted out‑of‑state online programs.

Commissioners also agreed to remove a requirement that scholarship recipients must begin attendance in the fall semester so that spring starts would be eligible. Staff was directed to incorporate the residency and program‑eligibility changes and return a revised resolution to the board for consideration on the upcoming Tuesday agenda.