2016 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 24 - Government - State
Principal Departments
Article 33.5 - Public Safety
Part 7 - Emergency Management
§ 24-33.5-708. Establishment of interjurisdictional disaster planning and service area

(1) If the governor finds that two or more adjoining counties would be better served by an interjurisdictional arrangement than by maintaining separate disaster agencies and services, the governor may delineate by executive order an interjurisdictional area adequate to plan for, prevent, or respond to disaster in that area and direct steps to be taken as necessary, including the creation of an interjurisdictional relationship, a joint disaster emergency plan, mutual aid, or an area organization for emergency planning and services.

(2) A finding of the governor pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall be based on one or more factors related to the difficulty of maintaining an efficient and effective disaster prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery system on a separate basis, such as:

(a) Small or sparse population;

(b) Limitations on public financial resources severe enough to make maintenance of a separate disaster agency and services unreasonably burdensome;

(c) Unusual vulnerability to disaster as evidenced by a past history of disasters, topographical features, drainage characteristics, disaster potential, and presence of disaster-prone facilities or operations;

(d) The interrelated character of the counties in a multicounty area; and

(e) Other relevant conditions or circumstances.

(3) If the governor finds that a vulnerable area lies only partly within this state and includes territory in another state or territory in a foreign jurisdiction and that it would be desirable to establish an interstate or international relationship or mutual aid or an area organization for disaster, the governor shall take steps to that end as desirable. If this action is taken with jurisdictions that have enacted the interstate civil defense and disaster compact, any resulting agreements may be considered supplemental agreements pursuant to article VI of such compact.

(4) If the other jurisdictions with which the governor proposes to cooperate pursuant to subsection (3) of this section have not enacted the interstate civil defense and disaster compact, the governor may negotiate special agreements with such jurisdictions. Any agreement, if sufficient authority for the making thereof does not otherwise exist, becomes effective only after its text has been communicated to the general assembly and if neither house of the general assembly has disapproved it before adjournment sine die of the next ensuing session competent to consider it or within thirty days of its submission, whichever is longer.