HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026 - RESO 24 - SB26-117CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO
RESOLUTION NO. 24
SERIES OF 2026
TITLE: A RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO SENATE BILL 26-117
PROPOSING RESTRICTIONS ON HOW COLORADO LOTTERY
TICKETS MAY BE SOLD
WHEREAS, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) is constitutionally funded by
proceeds from the Colorado Lottery, serving as the primary financial engine for the preservation, enhancement, and expansion of local parks, trails, and open spaces across
the state, including vital community infrastructure here in the City of Wheat Ridge; and
WHEREAS, these funds provide essential capital that enables local governments
to construct safe neighborhood playgrounds, expand accessible trail networks, and
protect natural habitats, all of which directly contribute to the quality of life, economic vitality, and physical health of our residents; and
WHEREAS, in an era of increasingly constrained municipal and state budgets, local
governments rely heavily on these dedicated grant partnerships to offset the massive
financial burden of developing and maintaining outdoor public infrastructure without
passing the entirety of those costs directly onto local taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 26-117 proposes severe statutory restrictions on the
permissible methods of selling Colorado Lottery tickets, specifically prohibiting
modernization efforts such as online sales and the use of modern payment methods,
which directly threatens to suppress revenue to Great Outdoors Colorado; and
WHEREAS, shrinking the pool of Great Outdoors Colorado grant funding available to municipalities would effectively act as a long-term defunding mechanism for local
parks and shift an unsustainable financial burden back onto the City of Wheat Ridge to
maintain its outdoors spaces; and
WHEREAS, Wheat Ridge City Council adopted the 2026 Legislative Agenda which
opposes initiatives that would reduce funding for parks and recreation projects from the Colorado Lottery or other state sources, as these funds are vital for maintaining and
expanding parks and open spaces.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Wheat
Ridge officially opposes, as introduced, Senate Bill 26-117 and urges the Colorado
General Assembly to vote against its passage to protect the financial sustainability of Great Outdoors Colorado and municipal park infrastructure.
DONE AND RESOLVED this 11th day of May 2026
ATTEST:
_________________________________________
Janeece Hoppe, City Clerk
_________________________________________
Korey Stites, Mayor