To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Michelle Halstead, Director, Commissioners’ Office
Prepared By:
prepared
Nico Johnson, Management Analyst, Commissioners’ Office
end
Subject:
title
Adopt the 2027 Arapahoe County Legislative Priorities and Principles
end
Purpose and Request:
recommended action
The Board is requested to adopt the 2027 Arapahoe County Legislative Priorities and Principles.
end
Alignment with Strategic Plan: Good Governance - Proactively advocate for the County's needs in legislative solutions.
Background and Discussion: Arapahoe County is committed to fulfilling its mission of enhancing life through exceptional delivery of services and efficient use of public funds.
As a constitutional subdivision of Colorado state government, Arapahoe County can only exercise those powers specifically expressed in statute or in the constitution. Generally, counties are responsible for law enforcement, including the court system, district attorney, and jail facilities; the provision of social services on behalf of the state; the constitution, maintenance, and repair of roads and bridges; health departments; and general control of land use in unincorporated areas.
The Board of County Commissioners is the primary policy-making body for the county and is responsible for the county’s administrative and budgetary functions. Each year, the Arapahoe County Commissioners adopt priorities and principles to inform the County’s positions on bills during the state legislative session as well as inform federal advocacy efforts. The staff legislative committee, consisting of the County Attorney and the Directors of the Commissioners’ Office, Community Resources, Human Services, Public Health and Public Works & Development, suggested revisions to Arapahoe County’s legislative priorities and principles and presented them to the Board at the September 29, 2026, study session (materials attached). The 2027 Arapahoe County legislative priorities and principles were updated based on Board feedback and are attached as Exhibit A.
The priorities and principles also serve as a reference for elected representatives when considering legislation that may impact Arapahoe County. The Board of County Commissioners may revisit the county’s legislative principles throughout the year. Strategic, targeted and/or abbreviated versions of the information contained in this document will also be created throughout the year for use in further legislative communications.
Alternatives: The Board of County Commissioners may decide to revise the principles or decide not to adopt them
Fiscal Impact: N/A
Alignment with Strategic Implementation Strategies: The attached framework helps Arapahoe County institutionalize values-based, transparent decision-making, documenting how we make decisions and carry out actions to achieve the county’s strategic plan.
Concurrence: Staff Legislative Committee