Volunteer Boards and Commissions

The City/County Drainage Board acts as an advisory board to the Colorado Springs City Council and the Board of El Paso County Commissioners regarding (1) subdivision codes and regulations relating to the drainage and control of flood and surface waters and (2) administration of the Subdivision Storm Drainage funds. The board also works closely with the City Engineer and the County Engineer to make recommendations on new drainage studies and fees.

On April 1, 2009, El Paso County became an “entitlement community” and was awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a wide range of community development activities directed toward revitalizing neighborhoods, economic development, and providing improved community facilities and services.

The Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB) reviews matters of importance regarding the CDBG program and makes recommendations to the Board of El Paso County Commissioners concerning community development issues and use of CDBG funds.

The County of El Paso through the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners has created the El Paso County Citizen Outreach Group to educate residents of the work and services provided by El Paso County, serve as citizen ambassadors on behalf of the organization to the public as requested by appropriately designated staff, and assess the progress or efforts of County strategic initiatives, such as the County Strategic Plan, the County’s Budget, and the activity of the public Safety tax.

The role of the El Paso County Community Services Block Grant Advisory Board is to participate actively in the development, planning, implementation and evaluation of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program in El Paso County, serving low-income communities and making recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners.

The mission of the El Paso County Extension Advisory Committee is to promote, advocate, and support the Colorado State University’s Extension program in El Paso County and staff by developing and implementing a strong marketing strategy that results in educating community officials and providing information flow between county citizens and the Extension.

The El Paso County Fair Advisory Board assists with the development, management, programming, operation, and maintenance of the Fair and Events Complex in Calhan. Board members also help to produce the annual County Fair.

The Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) shall appoint a Planning Commission. The Planning Commission is established by resolution of the BoCC pursuant to C.R.S. §30-28-103 and C.R.S. §30-28-104 . The Planning Commission reviews planning petitions and makes recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners on land use requests and prepares a master plan for unincorporated areas of the county.

The Board of County Commissioners established the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) for the administration of a federal program for the development and review of chemical emergency response plans, collecting information about corporate and public use and storage of hazardous chemicals to help Fire and HAZMAT officers to safely respond to an incident, and to help citizens exercise their rights under the Federal Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act.

Visit the Local Emergency Planning Committee website for further information.

The Noxious Weed Advisory Commission develops and tri-annually reviews an action plan for the integrated management of state-mandated weeds; designates additional weeds that are or have the potential for becoming problematic in the county; and recommends to the Board of County Commissioners that identified individual landowners be required to submit their management strategies to control targeted plants to the El Paso County Environmental Division.

Additionally, the Commission serves to educate the public by speaking to groups and homeowner associations and by displaying educational materials at community events.

The Park Advisory Board reviews and comments on items and proposals related to County Park policies, philosophies and objectives, and makes recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners.

The purpose of the Commission is to advise and recommend to the PPACG Board of Directors and PPACG staff action on matters regarding the development of an area-wide system of advocacy and policy recommendations for older persons to enable them to maintain as much independence as possible.

The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) Community Advisory Committee (CAC) was formed to afford citizens the opportunity to be continuously involved in regional planning activities. The CAC is an advisory committee to the PPACG Board of Directors on matters affecting regional transportation, air and water quality, and military impact planning.

The Licensing Committee reviews testing, experience and licensing of applicants for licenses and the performance of work required under the Pikes Peak Regional Building Code and adopted primary and secondary codes by reference, including, but not limited to the Elevator and Escalator Safety Code. Electrical and plumbing contractors are licensed by the State of Colorado, but must also register with Pikes Peak Regional Building Department to perform work in this Jurisdiction. The committee also hears complaints against contractors.

The Technical Committee reviews, interprets, and recommends minor variance requests from the Pikes Peak Regional Building Code (the “Building Code”), including, but not limited to the Sign Code, and the Elevator and Escalator Safety Code.

The Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) is a collaborative effort among six regional governments to improve and maintain roads and support public transit. The members of PPRTA are the cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, El Paso County, and the towns of Green Mountain Falls and Ramah and Calhan.

In conjunction with the establishment of the El Paso County Pioneer Village Roads Public Improvement District, the Board of County Commissioners also created the El Paso County Pioneer Village Roads Public Improvement District Advisory Committee. The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners regarding the public improvements to be funded each year, the awarding of contracts, and the need to seek an increase of the maximum mill levy for the PID.

The Committee was created by the El Paso County Planning and Community Development Department and the Department of Public Works to provide recommendations to the Commissioners on the implementation of the unincorporated county-wide road impact fee program, in compliance with local, state, and federal laws.

For further information, please contact the Boards and Commissions Administrator at 719-520-6555.

The Citizen Advisory Council is a component of the District for customer representation for citizens with the District’s boundaries and provides a point of contact for the public.