Applications Due October 23, 2020

The Underfunded Courthouse Facility Commission was established by the General Assembly in 2014 as a result of House Bill 14-1096, which created the Commission and the corresponding cash fund.  The goal of the Commission is to provide supplemental grant funds to counties in need of financial assistance for courthouse facility projects.  The Commission includes seven members from various entities across Colorado.

• Judge Mark MacDonnell, Chair, Chief Judge, 16th Judicial District
• Darius Allen, County Commissioner, Alamosa County
• Judge Eric Elliff, 2nd Judicial District 
• Bruce Eisenhauer, Deputy Executive Director, Department of Local Affairs
• Tom Flower, County Commissioner, Custer County
• Tim Stroh, Director, State Historical Fund, History Colorado
• Amy Waddle, District Administrator, 20th Judicial District

Background

The responsibility for providing adequate courtrooms and other court facilities lies with the individual county governments.  However, courthouses across Colorado are impacted by expanding caseloads, the allocation of new judges to the district, or the aging of existing courtroom facilities.  These circumstances cause operational and safety impacts to the performance of judicial activities.  In some areas, the necessary maintenance and improvements to the courthouse have been delayed or are hindered by the financial limitations of the county.  The Judicial Branch worked with the General Assembly to create the Commission to assist these counties and ensure that the courthouses meet current safety standards. 

Grants

Colorado statute (13-1-301, C.R.S.) states that the fund is to provide funding for courthouse facility projects in the counties with the most limited financial resources.  Specifically, counties must meet at least two of the following four pieces of criteria to be eligible to apply for and receive grants:

1. Counties in which the total population is below the state median;
2. Counties in which the per capita income is below the state median;
3. Counties in which the property tax revenues are below the state median; or
4. Counties in which the county population below the federal poverty line is above the state median.

Counties that meet all four pieces of criteria are deemed to be the highest priority counties.  The Commission works with the State Demographer at the Department of Local Affairs to obtain this data and publishes the list of eligible counties for each grant round. 

The grants can be used to pay for master planning services for a courthouse project, matching or leveraging additional grant funds or to address emergency needs due to the imminent closure of a courthouse.  Grant funds cannot be used to pay for furniture, fixtures, or equipment.  In addition to these limitations, grant funds cannot be used as the sole source of funding for new construction, unless the need is associated with the imminent closure of a courthouse. 

Direct any questions to: 

Marty Galvin
Office of the State Court Administrator
1300 Broadway, Suite 1200
Denver, Colorado 80203
720-625-5000

marty.galvin@judicial.state.co.us