State Representative Tammy Storey, State Senator Mark Bazely and Jefferson County Commissioner Leslie Gallagher addressed state budget constraints, legislative priorities and local wildfire funding efforts at the Conifer Area Council Feb. 20.

Storey said the state legislative session is underway and that many bills carry fiscal notes; she said Colorado faces a roughly $700 million shortfall compared with last year and that a ballot measure passed last fall directing roughly $350 million to local law enforcement reduces available state budget capacity for other projects. Storey, who said she serves on the education and ag/water/natural resources committees and chairs the capital development committee, described the capital request process and noted that typically only a fraction of agency requests can be funded.

Senator Mark Bazely said his focusing areas include economic opportunity, safety and education and described recent state investments and proposals such as the Quantum Tech Park project. He also referenced legislation under consideration regarding cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities and said he was sponsoring a tax‑credit bill aimed at attracting film festivals.

Commissioner Leslie Gallagher said Jefferson County is watching state bills affecting wildfire resiliency and that the county is applying for a $10 million federal grant led by the county fire management officer, Brian Keating, to expand mitigation programs and create a microgrant program to help residents build defensible space. Gallagher said the county receives roughly $100 million in federal grants for services and that voters approved a local measure (referred to as 1A) removing an artificial cap so surplus dollars can be reinvested in public safety and infrastructure; she said the county will soon recruit community members for a citizens advisory committee to allocate those dollars in two categories: public safety (including wildfire resiliency) and public infrastructure.

Nut Graf: Officials framed a constrained state budget environment, ongoing legislative work and concurrent county efforts to seek federal wildfire mitigation funding and to organize local advisory input on surplus funds for public safety and infrastructure.

Additional details: Gallagher highlighted evacuation concerns in neighborhoods with single access routes and described potential program expansions for rights‑of‑way mitigation; Storey said capital funding requests are prioritized and that actual available funds often cover a small fraction of agency needs.

Ending: The officials invited residents to follow up with their offices; Gallagher encouraged interested residents to watch for JEFFCO.US postings about the citizens advisory committee and said county staff would report back to the public as grant processes progress.