Gilpin commissioners approve 2025 limited gaming impact funding application, rank local requests

The Gilpin County Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 to adopt Resolution 25-089, approving submission of the county—s 2025 Limited Gaming Impact Fund application and authorizing county staff to accept and administer any resulting award. The vote followed a public staff presentation and a ranking process that placed victim services first and the district attorney lowest among six applicants.

The ranking matters because the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) requires the county to prioritize funding requests submitted under the Limited Gaming Impact Fund. Jamie Boyle, interim finance director, told the board the total requested across applicants was just over $2.8 million and that DOLA—s formulas and documentation determine final awards.

DOLA—s Limited Gaming Impact Fund reimburses local governments and eligible service providers for documented costs tied to gaming impacts, Boyle said. "All of these agencies collect data throughout the year——calls and incidents that they handle that are specifically related to gaming," Boyle said, adding that fund calculations are formulaic and based on submitted incident data.

Commissioners reviewed six requests categorized as EMS/fire, human services, jail/detention, judicial, and patrol/dispatch. The Gilpin Ambulance Authority requested just over $1 million; Gilpin County Victim Services requested $60,000; Jefferson Center for Mental Health requested about $16,000; Gilpin County Detention Center requested roughly $666,000; the district attorney's office requested about $835,000; and general law enforcement requested about $146,000, according to the staff presentation.

After commissioners individually ranked the six requests on staff-provided forms, staff reported the aggregated results: Victim Services came in first; patrol/dispatch and detentions tied for second and third until commissioners chose to rank patrol ahead of detentions because patrol provides the initial response in most incidents. Jefferson Center for Mental Health placed fourth, Gilpin Ambulance Authority fifth and the DA sixth.

County Manager Ray Reers explained the county serves mainly as a pass-through for the DOLA funds: "We essentially serve as a pass through entity, to ensure that these service providers are able to recoup those costs," he said. Several commissioners noted the fund often helps providers that have lost other state or federal revenue streams.

The board—s resolution approves the application and consolidates steps that previously returned to the board separately, a change staff said should improve efficiency. The motion carried 3-0; the board directed staff to file the application with DOLA using the ranked priorities and to return after DOLA—s allocation is determined.

Staff emphasized the application relies on substantial backup documentation and that applicants must document each incident as gaming-related; staff said the county did not include all underlying backup in the public packet but would provide it on request. Boyle noted the grant reimbursement reflects eligible 2024 expenses documented by the providers.

The action is procedural: submission to DOLA and authorization to accept any award. Any final award and allocation of funds will depend on DOLA—s formulas and statewide award levels.