The defeat of Gilpin County Ballot Issue 1A in the November 7 Coordinated Election (64% No vs 36% Yes) was a decisive rejection by Gilpin voters regarding ongoing funding for the Gilpin Parks and Recreation (P&R) department with a mill levy.

This tax has been collected since 2021. Starting in 2024, the department will no longer have available to it about $1.15 million in revenue per year from the assessed mill levy. The Gilpin County Commissioners will have to decide how much funding will be available to this department from other sources of revenue, considering that this area is not mandated by state statute.

The mill levy was composed of two segments: One segment came from private property owners, which accounted for about 35% of the mill levy or around $400,000 a year. The other segment came from commercial properties, mostly the casinos, and accounted for 65% of the assessed mill levy or about $750,000 per year.

The defeat of 1A means that the casinos get to keep $750,000 a year for their profit and residents will save the equivalent of a can of chew, a pack of cigarettes, a six-pack of beer, seven lottery tickets, or a cheap car wash a month.

The opponents of Ballot Issue 1A have advocated making up this deficit of $1.15 million by using money from the General Fund to finance the department, but the current situation is significantly different from 2019, when funding Parks and Recreation from the General Fund was a standard practice.

The General Fund is used to finance the operating budgets for departments that are mandated by state statute – those areas that every county must adequately fund in order to remain a county. These departments include the Sheriff’s department, the courts, clerk and recorder, assessor, public works, and human services. Since Parks and Recreation is not a mandated department, it is a lower priority and can only be funded with what’s left over after the mandated departments are budgeted.

Goods and services have gotten significantly more expensive since the pandemic, so funding the mandated departments has taken a greater portion of the General Fund, leaving less for Parks and Recreation. The General Fund will also be used to finance building maintenance projects needed to keep County buildings from falling apart. This will further reduce the funds available to Parks and Recreation.

There is also the prospect of unexpected requests, like the current dilemma of the county’s only childcare program, which would require emergency money from the General Fund to stabilize the situation, thus leaving even less available for Parks and Recreation.

At this point, the Parks and Recreation department cannot be funded at the same level it had when the mill levy was in place. The result of the defeat of Ballot Issue 1A is that the department will have to curtail services and hours of operation. The director of Parks and Recreation, Gabrielle Chisholm, has been working with the commissioners and county administrators to develop a truncated budget enabling the continued operation of the Community Center.

One of the key objectives to keeping the Community Center functioning is retaining the afterschool and summer camp programs that ensure children’s safety while parents are working. Chisholm stated that Parks and Recreation has secured grants for $150,000 that will keep these programs running into 2025.

Chisholm is developing two budget scenarios for presentation at the budget work session with the County Commissioners that will determine the final 2024 budget for the Parks and Recreation department. The initial draft budget would have the Community Center open three days a week (Monday, Friday, Saturday), and closing the swimming pool. A second budget proposal would have the Community Center open four days a week (Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday), and keeping the pool open. The difference would be about $200,000 a year.

In either budget, the Parks and Recreation department reserve would be drawn down by the end of 2024 and building maintenance would have to be deferred indefinitely. Closing the Community Center multiple days a week to the public would not interfere with the after-school programs. They would continue to use the Community Center Monday through Friday and during the summer.

While the Parks and Recreation department can get by in 2024 and possibly 2025 on a reduced budget that severely cuts back services and hours of operation, long term funding and investment will continue to be an issue. What is apparent is that, based on the Gilpin County Ballot Issue 1A result, the voters in Gilpin County don’t want to pay for the continued operation of the Community Center and its associated programs.

After the department budget work sessions, a final budget for the county will be developed, approved, and submitted to the state by December 12, 2023.

All budget meetings are open to the public and more information can be found at the county website (gilpincounty.colorado.gov).