Jeffco Priorities

Transportation & Infrastructure

Roads, bridges, bike paths and other components of the infrastructure are critical to Jefferson County’s health. Business thrives and quality of life improves when transportation is reliable. Rachel Zenzinger has a history of finding solutions to thorny transportation and infrastructure issues.

Transportation is an essential component of community health and development. Rachel believes that reliable and multifaceted transportation connects people with jobs, healthcare and cultural opportunities. Funding of those transportation options becomes increasingly imperative as the county’s population grows. With that population growth comes the need for infrastructure expansion. It is important for Jefferson County officials to track those needs and address them in the most fiscally responsible manner.

Rachel Zenzinger has prioritized development and maintenance of Jefferson County roads, bridges, bike paths, and transit options during her tenure in the Colorado State Legislature as a member of the Senate Transportation & Energy Committee and as a member of the CDOT Efficiency & Accountability Committee.

Rachel has sponsored and passed multiple bills designed to fund transportation improvements, including SB18-001, a transportation funding bill passed by the Colorado Senate in 2018. The bill dedicated nearly half a billion dollars from the state's budget surplus to roads, and was the first major transportation funding bill since 2009. She also sponsored a series of capital construction bills to increase safety and maintain our public buildings, roads, and other government facilities.

In addition to her experience at the state level, she also gained valuable transportation policy experience at the local level as a member of the Jefferson County Transportation Action and Advocacy Group (JEFFTAAG), the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), and Arvada’s citizen Transportation Committee and Gold Line Advisory Committee. She also served as chair of the Transit Alliance and as a member of the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District Board of Directors.

Rachel has been recognized for her leadershipin support of transportation and insfrastructure by numerous organizations, including the “Friend of Trucking Award” from the Colorado Association of Motor Carriers in 2022, the “Transportation Funding Champion” award from the Colorado Contractors Association in 2019, and the “Outstanding Citizens’ Academy Graduate” from the Transit Alliance in 2014.  

To view a list of transportation & infrastructure bills that Rachel Zenzinger sponsored in the State Senate, click HERE.

Affordable Housing & Land Use

Affordable housing is a growing issue in Jefferson County and throughout Colorado. Home prices and rents have surged without coinciding wage increases. Access to housing is a crucial component to families, communities, and businesses, and the affordability issue can be felt across a range of different issues and struggles within Jefferson County. Many families are sacrificing important expenditures such as heat and groceries to keep up with rising rents, heavy mortgages and increases in property taxes. 

Rachel Zenzinger has grappled with the issue of affordable housing on multiple levels, with service on the state’s Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force, the Arvada Housing Authority, and the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA). She is currently a member of the Jeffco Housing Advocacy Steering Committee, a group composed of elected officials and community leaders across the county to develop and implement strategies that increase the availability of safe and affordable housing for all residents, particularly for middle income households.

Rachel has sponsored numerous bills designed to ease the burdens of housing costs. Most notably, she sponsored several bills to fund and expand the state’s Affordable Housing Tax Credit, which supports CHFA’s affordable housing efforts. She also sponsored SB24-174, a bill concerning state support for sustainable affordable housing assistance, SB23-001 concerning additional functions of the public-private collaboration unit for public projects that provide housing, and SB22-159 which created of a revolving loan fund within the division of housing to make investments in transformational affordable housing.

Utilizing this experience and knowledge, Rachel Zenzinger is prepared to address the issue of rising rents and home prices through the efficient allocation of land resources. By leveraging the power of smart zoning and identification of strategic parcels and buildings, Rachel believes that Jefferson County can create abundant affordable housing options open to everyone who wants to live in the area. 

Rachel Zenzinger was recognized by the Rocky Mountain Home Association as their “Friend of Affordable Housing” awardee in 2019, and the “Legislative Hero Award” from the Colorado Municipal League for her work on comprehensive land use planning and for advocating on behalf of local governments.

To view a list of affordable housing and land use bills that Rachel Zenzinger sponsored in the State Senate, click HERE.

Fire & Public Safety

Wildfire

Jefferson County residents deserve a safe place to live, learn, work, and play. We are fortunate to have one of the best law enforcement agencies in the state, the Jeffco Sheriff’s Office, working to maintain our peace and security in Jeffco, including responding to dangerous wildfire incidents.

Wildfires are an inevitable concern in Jefferson County, and ensuring the ability of government agencies to mitigate the damage that can be caused by a wildfire is vital to protecting the safety of Jeffco and its residents. By devoting reasonable resources to these agencies, we can assist in wildfire prevention, and thus keep residents, pets, businesses and even wildlife safe.

As county commissioner, Rachel Zenzinger will draw upon past experiences to institute policies that will improve and maintain how the county addresses wildfire. For example, she believes Jeffco officials must continue participating on the Wildfire Commission, as well as frequently improve and update our Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and forest management plans. Furthermore, we all know that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” therefore Rachel believes we must have adequate funding to properly plan for and respond to wildfire when it occurs.

Rachel Zenzinger has experience dealing with wildfire prevention and response efforts in the Colorado State Legislature. She sponsored numerous bills to tackle wildfire mitigation in the state, including a bill to bolster the wildfire mitigation capacity development fund. She also increased funding in numerous budget cycles to purchase up-to-date equipment for fire fighting, such as the new Fire Hawk helicopter currently stored at the Rocky Mountain Regional Airport. She also sponsored several bills to assist local firefighting agencies and local governments in their efforts to address wildfires.

Public Safety

In addition to tackling wildfire, we must also ensure the safety and wellbeing of our communities through robust law enforcement, community policing, and by taking a pro-active approach to crime prevention. Knowing that their community is safe and secure allows residents to feel comfortable in their homes, schools, workplaces, and public spaces.

Rachel Zenzinger has a long record of supporting efforts to boost public safety, even dating back to when she served on the Arvada City Council. Rachel promoted a community policing policy, including the effort to establish police substations, that was adopted by the city and is still in effect today. She also sponsored numerous bills at the state legislature to address crime, including SB23-097 a bill that increased the penalties for motor vehicle theft, HB23-1135 to crack down on child molesters, and HB22-1099 to address retail theft.

As a county commissioner, Rachel will continue prioritizing public safety. She believes that we must allocate the proper resources to the Jeffco Sheriff’s Office if we want to maintain a strong workforce, provide better training, and adequate respond to emergency situations. She strongly supports the community policing approach currently in place, but feels that we can do more to develop partnerships between law enforcement and community members to build trust and address local safety concerns. She will actively work on fostering better collaboration between county government officials, the Sheriff’s Office, and local law enforcement, emergency services, and community organizations to tackle public safety issues.

Rachel Zenzinger was recognized several times by the Colorado Civil Justice League for having “Common Sense in the Courtroom”, and Colorado Concern awarded her with an “In the Arena Leadership Award” for successfully tackling issues important to the business community, public safety among them. She also received “Legislator of the Year” from the United Veterans Coalition of Colorado.

To view a list of fire and public safety bills that Rachel Zenzinger sponsored in the State Senate, click HERE.

Health & Human Services

Healthcare

Health and Human Services are a vital part of Jefferson County, ensuring the safety and quality of life for residents. Investing funds into these services bolsters all aspects of the communities of Jeffco; whereas inadequate support can often lead to expensive problems elsewhere. With good access to high quality mental and physical health services, we can improve our quality of life, enhance productivity, reduce healthcare cost, and create a stronger community overall.

Rachel Zenzinger sponsored numerous bills at the state legislator in order to promote better mental and physical health. She was the lead sponsor to reform medicaid eligibility procedures, boosted funding for our local public health agencies, increased the nursing facility reimbursement rate, and expanded Telehealth coverage. She worked with nurses on the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact, EMTs on ambulance service sustainability and state licensing, expanded access to complementary and alternative medicine, and sponsored several bills to strengthen the Colorado Behavioral Health Crisis System.

As County Commissioner, Rachel will draw from her prior advocacy to bolster both mental and physical health at the county level. She will advocate for better funding specifically for mental health services, which is lagging in Jeffco. She will also work to enhance public parks and trails to encourage physical activity and access to nature, which can improve both mental and physical well-being. She will urge greater collaboration among local healthcare providers, and will work closely with our Jeffco Public Health Office on co-planning and co-budgeting to increase efficiencies. In doing so, this will allow the county to promote better health and prevent injury and disease for our residents.

Rachel’s work to improve mental and physical health in our state has let to several awards including the “Community Behavioral Health Champion” award from the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council, an “Early Childhood Award” from Healthier Colorado, and two “Golden Ambulance” awards from the Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado. She was also named a “Legislative Champion” from the Colorado Health Care Association and the “Colorado EMS Legislator of the Year” from the Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado.

To view a list of healthcare bills that Rachel Zenzinger sponsored in the State Senate, click HERE.

Human Services

Another important area in which Rachel has accumulated an expansive amount of policy experience is in the area of human services. Delivering high quality human services is a critical component to helping individuals, families, and communities thrive. The county human services sector includes everything from aging and senior services; child, family, and community services; disability and independent living services; and workforce development and financial well-being services.

In Colorado, the child welfare system is state supervised and administered by counties, which means counties play a key role in child welfare issues. Rachel served on the Child Welfare System Interim Study Committee, sponsored dozens of bills in support of children and youth in the foster care system, and interfaced with the Colorado Department of Human Services regularly while serving on the state’s budget committee. She already posseses a high level of practical experience that will enable her to hit the ground running at the county level.

In addition to child welfare, Rachel sponsored numerous bills to assist individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilites, including measures to reduce the comprehensive disability waiver waiting list, senior services, and independent living measures.

In 2023, Rachel was recognized by the Colorado Association of Family and Children's Agencies (CAFCA) as “Legislator of the Year” for her work on legislation to support children and youth in the foster care system. She received a similar award from the Developmental Disabilities Resource Center in 2019 and from Fostering Colorado in 2022. And she received the first ever “Autism Champion Award” from the Colorado Autism Services Coalition in 2024.

To view a list of human services bills that Rachel Zenzinger sponsored in the State Senate, click HERE.

Trails & Open Space

The natural beauty contained in Jefferson County is not a secret, and residents can find access to the surrounding Rocky Mountains and natural open spaces in their own neighborhoods and backyards.

Jeffco prioritized the establishment of open space beginning in 1972 when the Jeffco League of Women Voters and PLAN Jeffco came together and formed Jeffco Open Space. This is a land conservation organization funded through a voter approved tax. Maintaining this access, through upkeep and protection of trails and open spaces, helps to protect the surrounding nature and beauty that is so fundamental to the identity and experience of Jefferson County.

Nevertheless, given the pressures to develop land in our county, Rachel believes we must consider the future of open space and how we will continue preserving and maintaining these spaces.

In her years at the legislature Rachel worked tirelessly to improve air and water quality control during her time in office and has supported policies to preserve and improve our state’s natural beauty. She also championed legislation to protect public lands, expand the renewable energy sector, and hold polluters accountable.

At the county level, Rachel will work with Jeffco Open Space to implement stronger zoning regulations that require developers to set aside land for open space, parks, or greenbelts. She also supports offering incentives for conservation easements on private land and prioritizing land acquisitions by the county or local land trusts. She also thinks encouraging urban infill and redevelopment within existing communities will help maintain our existing open spaces.

To view a list of environmental bills that Rachel Zenzinger sponsored in the State Senate, click HERE.