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Gilpin County backs AGNC request to expand Northwest Colorado enterprise zone
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners voted 3-0 to sign a letter of support asking the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado to seek expansion of the Northwest Colorado Enterprise Zone to include all of Gilpin County.
The Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners voted 3-0 on Aug. 12 to sign a letter of support asking the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC) to pursue boundary redesignation of the Northwest Colorado Enterprise Zone to include all of Gilpin County.
The enterprise zone program, established by the Colorado General Assembly in 1986 and administered at the state level by the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, provides tax credits and contribution-project incentives to spur investment in distressed communities. Tiffany Dickinson, executive director of AGNC, told the board the program requires a statutory review every 10 years and that the redesignation process will begin Jan. 1, 2026; she said AGNC plans to request inclusion of all of Gilpin County when it petitions the state.
Dickinson described the program’s eligibility metrics — five-year population growth, unemployment and per-capita income thresholds — and the suite of business and nonprofit tax credits available to enterprises located within zone boundaries. She said Gilpin County currently meets the metrics and that an expansion would allow local businesses and nonprofit contribution projects to access credits and fundraising incentives. Jeff Knopfzinger, City of Central’s planning and community services director, spoke in support and said the designation could help attract development linked to projects such as the Gregory Gulch Resort.
Ray Rears, Gilpin County manager, explained AGNC had worked with the county and Central City to secure the county’s original inclusion, and that administrative fees would be split where appropriate. The board made a motion to approve signing the letter of support; the motion passed unanimously.
The letter does not itself change zone boundaries; it authorizes AGNC to petition the state and signals local support. Dickinson said the state Economic Development Commission must vote on the request later in the process.
The board did not discuss any fiscal commitments tied to the petition.
Any business or nonprofit that would seek to use enterprise-zone tax credits would still need to precertify annually and meet the program’s statutory requirements.
